bawl

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /bɔl/ UK /bɔːl/ See IPA manual

Homophones

ball /bɔl/

Meanings

1

verb
to weep or shout loudly and unrestrainedly

The toddler began to bawl when his balloon burst.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to weep or shout loudly and... wail howl sob weep shout yell bellow

Opposites

whisper

Word family

Derived forms bawlerbawling

Etymology

Probably from Old Norse baula ('to low like a cow') or Medieval Latin baulare ('to bark'); ultimately imitative.

baula Old Norse baul onomatopoeic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# bawl

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /bɔl/
**IPA (UK):** /bɔːl/

## Meanings
1. to weep or shout loudly and unrestrainedly

## Examples
- The toddler began to bawl when his balloon burst.

## Synonyms
- wail
- howl
- sob
- weep
- shout
- yell
- bellow

## Antonyms
- whisper

## Derived Forms
- bawler
- bawling

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: baula
- Root: baul

## Etymology
Probably from Old Norse baula ('to low like a cow') or Medieval Latin baulare ('to bark'); ultimately imitative.

## AI Etymology
bawl is probably from Old Norse baula ('to low like a cow') or Medieval Latin baulare ('to bark'); ultimately imitative. The explanation preserves that uncertainty: the proposed comparisons illuminate the form, but they do not turn the word into a securely traced inheritance or borrowing. In modern use, the verb sense is "to weep or shout loudly and unrestrainedly", which keeps the etymology connected to the word's present dictionary value rather than treating it as a merely historical label. The wider word family includes derivatives such as bawler, bawling, showing how the same base continues to support neighboring English vocabulary. The principal historical forms in the chain include Old Norse baula, onomatopoeic baul, which anchor the explanation in named linguistic material.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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