bawl
bawl
/bɔːl/
To shout or cry out noisily and unrestrainedly, often with tears.
Carries a dual meaning: it can mean to weep loudly (like a baby) or to shout orders/complaints in a loud, ugly, unrestrained manner.
The story behind the word. The word 'bawl' comes from the Medieval Latin 'baulare', which meant 'to bark like a dog'. It entered Middle English as a way to describe loud, animal-like howling or crying, eventually applying to human weeping and shouting.
Word relationships
- wail: Wail implies a high-pitched, mournful cry of grief, whereas bawl is more raw, noisy, and less dignified.
- sob: Sob involves convulsive catching of the breath while crying, and is usually quieter than a full-throated bawl.
- whimper: Whimper is a low, feeble, broken sound of fear or pain, far quieter than a bawl.
Commonly confused with
- ball: Ball is a round object used in games, homophonic but completely different in meaning.
- bald: Bald means having little or no hair on the head.
Word family
- bawled (verb (past)): Cried or shouted loudly.
- bawling (adjective/noun): The act of crying or shouting loudly.
Collocations
- bawl your eyes out
- bawl orders
- start to bawl
- bawl like a baby
Idioms & expressions
- bawl someone out (to scold someone angrily and loudly)
Example sentences
- "The toddler began to bawl when his ice cream cone fell onto the hot pavement." Describing a crying child who is upset.
- "The drill sergeant would bawl commands at the recruits until his voice went hoarse." Describing someone shouting orders aggressively.
Memory hook
Think of a baby playing with a 'ball' who starts to 'bawl' when the ball rolls away. Bawl like a baby who lost their ball.
When not to use
Do not use for dignified, controlled, or quiet crying. If someone is weeping silently, they are not bawling.
Fun facts
- The idiom 'bawl someone out' (to reprimand them) originated in American military slang in the early 20th century, referring to the loud shouting of officers.
Take your vocabulary further with LangBlitz
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.