bawled

shouted; sobbed loudly: The baby bawled when his lollipop was taken away.

Not to be confused with:

bald – bare; without hair: When he grew older, he became bald.

balled – wound into a ball: She balled the yarn.

bawl

(bôl)

v. bawled, bawl·ing, bawls

v.intr.

1. To cry or sob loudly; wail. See Synonyms at cry.

2. To cry out loudly and vehemently; shout.

v.tr.

To utter in a loud, vehement voice. See Synonyms at yell.

A loud, bellowing cry; a wail.

Phrasal Verb:

bawl out Informal

To reprimand loudly or harshly.

[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).]

bawl′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.