bawl
Cry loudly; also shout.
Updated September 21, 2026
bawl pronunciation
/bawl/
Meaning
A big, wet cry, or a loud call across a yard. Calves bawl. Kids bawl. Somebody can bawl out an order from the porch. Volume is the point.
How folks use it
- “The baby started to bawl in the middle of church.”
- “He bawled for us to come help with the gate.”
Origin and etymology
From Middle English baulen, related to shouting. Farm and household English kept both the cry and the yell senses. Common rural vocabulary, South included.