bawling

[ baw-ling ]

adjective

1. crying or wailing lustily:

   On one of our trips we were kept awake most of the night by a bawling kid—and that kid was you!

   The mooing, bawling calf seemed to be an orphan.

2. shouting loudly, especially to be heard outdoors, over other noise, or by a large group:

   He’s doing his basic training under a bawling drill sergeant who screams orders at the recruits.

noun

1. the act of crying, wailing, or shouting:

   After recess I have to put up with the bawling of kids at each other across the classroom, still arguing about playtime disputes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bawling¹

First recorded in 1570–80; bawl ( def ) + -ing ²( def ) for the adjective senses; bawl ( def ) + -ing ¹( def ) for the noun sense

Example Sentences

“When we saw each other, we both started bawling. Back then, we hadn’t seen each other for years, so it was such a touching moment for us.”

From Los Angeles Times

“My mom was front row bawling her eyes out, I was just confused. It was so sick.”

From Seattle Times

First of all, we were crying on the phone, just bawling, tears.

From Salon

"I've had people on the phone crying, bawling their eyes out," he says.

From BBC

Readers will recall a time of peak national hubris, with the White House, congressional Republicans and most of the press fairly bawling for war.

From Salon