sob

sob — verb

1. to cry with loud, irregular breaths and short gasps, usually because of deep sad

1.verbintransitiveB1
Definition

to cry with loud, irregular breaths and short gasps, usually because of deep sadness, pain, or emotional distress

Example

Adisa sobbed into his hands after he read the letter from home.

sob + into + body part

The little girl sobbed loudly when her balloon floated away into the sky.

Common collocations
  • sob loudly
  • sob quietly
  • sob uncontrollably
  • sob into
  • sob with grief
  • sob with relief
Synonyms
  • weep

    more formal, quieter, and more continuous — suggests dignified grief rather than convulsive breaths

  • cry

    the most general word; covers any act of shedding tears

  • wail

    adds a loud, high-pitched cry, often involving actual words or howls

  • bawl

    the loudest and least controlled; a full-throated, undignified cry

Antonyms
  • laugh

    opposite emotional expression

Grammar Patterns

sob + (adverbial)

Usage Note

Subject is always a conscious being (usually a person). Frequently followed by an adverbial phrase indicating where, why, or how — e.g. sob into a pillow, sob with relief, sob at the news.

Common Mistakes

She sobbed with joy when she saw the small gift.
She cried with joy when she saw the small gift.
Sob almost always implies sadness or emotional pain, not happiness.

2. to speak while crying so hard that your words come out in short, broken, breathl

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to speak while crying so hard that your words come out in short, broken, breathless bursts

Example

"I don't want to go," Henry sobbed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

sob introducing direct speech

Yara sobbed that she had lost the money her grandmother gave her.

sob + that-clause

Common collocations
  • sob out
  • sob that
Synonyms
  • cry out

    less breathless and convulsive than sob; any loud emotional utterance

  • whimper

    softer, weaker, more pitiful — often of fear rather than grief

Grammar Patterns

sob + direct speech

sob + that-clause

sob + out + noun phrase

Usage Note

Common in two patterns: (a) sob + direct speech ('I hate you,' she sobbed); (b) sob + that-clause (He sobbed that he was sorry). The variant sob out + noun phrase (sob out the truth) emphasises that the words are forced out with difficulty.

Common Mistakes

He sobbed that he would be more careful next time.' (implying no actual crying)
He sobbed that he would be more careful next time, tears streaming down his face.
Sob as a speech verb requires the person to be audibly crying, not just speaking emotionally.
Idioms

sob your heart out

idiom

to cry very hard and for a long time, without trying to control yourself

After the breakup, Talia sat on the sofa and sobbed her heart out for hours.

sob — noun

Word family

  • sobbing
    adjectiveB1
  • sobbing
    nounB1
  • sobber
    nounC1
  • sobbingly
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five words describe expressing sadness through tears, but they differ in loudness, control, and register. Cry is the most general and common word — anyone shedding tears is crying. Weep is more formal and suggests quiet, continuous shedding of tears, often with dignified grief. Sob describes loud, convulsive breathing with tears, usually from deep pain — the person's breath catches audibly. Wail adds a long, high-pitched cry, often involving actual words or howls of lament, common in grief rituals. Bawl is the loudest and least controlled — a full-throated, undignified cry associated with babies or adults who have lost all composure. For example, you might weep at a memorial service, sob while telling a friend about a breakup, wail at a graveside, and bawl when overcome by uncontrollable anger and sadness.

cry ↗weep ↗wail ↗bawl

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

Sob comes from Middle English sobben, first recorded around the 1200s. The word is likely onomatopoeic — its sound imitates the gasping, catching breath of a person crying heavily. The noun form (an act or sound of sobbing) appeared in the 1500s.