Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To cry or sob loudly; wail. synonym: cry.
  • intransitive verb To cry out loudly and vehemently; shout.
  • intransitive verb To utter in a loud, vehement voice. synonym: yell.
  • noun A loud, bellowing cry; a wail.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A shout at the top of one's voice; an outcry: as, the children set up a loud bawl.
  • To bark or howl, as a dog.
  • To cry out with a loud full sound; make vehement or clamorous outcries, as in pain, exultation, etc.; shout.
  • To utter or proclaim by outcry; shout out.
  • To cry for sale, as a hawker.
  • noun Obsolete spelling of ball.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A loud, prolonged cry; an outcry.
  • transitive verb To proclaim with a loud voice, or by outcry, as a hawker or town-crier does.
  • intransitive verb To cry out with a loud, full sound; to cry with vehemence, as in calling or exultation; to shout; to vociferate.
  • intransitive verb To cry loudly, as a child from pain or vexation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb intransitive To shout or utter in a loud and intense manner.
  • verb intransitive To wail; to give out a blaring cry.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb shout loudly and without restraint
  • verb make a raucous noise
  • verb cry loudly

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English bawlen, to bark, from Medieval Latin baulāre, to bark (probably of Scandinavian origin) or from Old Norse baula, to low (of imitative origin).]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English bawlen, from Old Norse baula ("to low") and/or Medieval Latin baulō ("bark", v), both from Proto-Germanic *bau- (“to roar”), from Proto-Indo-European *bau- (“to bark”), conflated with Proto-Germanic *bellanan, *ballijanan, *buljanan (“to shout, low, roar”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to sound, roar”). Cognate with Icelandic baula ("to moo, low"), Swedish böla ("to bellow, low"). More at bell.

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Examples

  • *tayks anottur bawl frum teh rakk: a yellow furst-troll bawl*

    They always seemed to know - Lolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger? 2009

  • The anguish of Patsy's thoughts caused him suddenly to "bawl" as he would have put it himself.

    Love of Brothers Katharine Tynan 1896

  • It was a good thing he had stopped to "bawl," else maybe he'd have missed the goat who had been having her fill of Mrs. McEnroe's after-grass.

    Love of Brothers Katharine Tynan 1896

  • It was his responsibility to bawl out Tim for doing something so dangerous, but Grady was leaving it all to Alex.

    Judge deveraux The Scent of Jasmine 2011

  • Fact: The midseason finale of Grey's Anatomy will make you bawl your eyes out.

    Grey's Anatomy's Guessing Game: Who's Dr. Blank? 2011

  • I could never pull off a full on pretend bawl, but I've got these two dimwits in the palm of my hand now and just a hint will close the deal.

    Yard Sailing michael dickes 2011

  • Good Omens made me laugh AND bawl like a baby … so, yeah.

    SF/F Humor Roundup at SF Novelists 2009

  • There was instant silence from the dog, although Tony continued his whining bawl in her ear.

    Western Man Janet Dailey 2011

  • Then they go out into the living room and they watch the news and they try not to bawl their eyes out because monsters do exist.

    Monsters Ulysses 2010

  • Then they go out into the living room and they watch the news and they try not to bawl their eyes out because monsters do exist.

    Archive 2010-02-01 Ulysses 2010

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