bellow

verb

bel·​low ˈbe-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce bellow (audio)
bellowed; bellowing; bellows

intransitive verb

1
: to make the loud deep hollow sound characteristic of a bull
2
: to shout in a deep voice

transitive verb

: bawl
bellows the orders
bellow noun

Examples of bellow in a Sentence

He bellowed at her to come over at once. He was bellowing into the phone, giving orders to one of his employees. The sergeant was bellowing orders.
Recent Examples on the Web Though ships now can navigate via GPS, the flashing light and bellowing horn still serve a purpose, Foregger tells his guests. Sacramento Bee, 30 Jan. 2024 From helping solve your supply chain planning problems and enhancing customer service to improving patient care, determining better product mixes and reducing the number of HR memos, AI has been bellowed from the rooftops as the next elixir to all our ills. Guy Courtin, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Born to Be solidified Melanie’s style; her dynamic voice could bellow and expand, or shrink into scratchy, childlike murmurs. Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 25 Jan. 2024 Is that Addi managed to yank him up, yank his neck up and push him out of the sand, and then this, all this screaming and the camels are bellowing. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Jan. 2024 The bass-bumping, sonically nostalgic track, which showcases his bellowing voice adlibbing the song’s title throughout the chorus, broke through on a mainstream level and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in December. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 6 Feb. 2024 After the two swap bodies, Mo (now played by Dassler) pounds his chest and bellows that his new body is like a Ferrari. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 3 Feb. 2024 The monster itself was designed to be horrifying, with spiky dorsal fins and a bellowing roar produced by recording an amplified roar in a large stadium. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 17 Jan. 2024 The comportment of Democrats and others disgusted by the Capitol riot was inconsistent with their present bellowing that Trump is a historically unique destructive force who cannot be allowed to retake power. Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review, 30 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bellow.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English belwen, from Old English bylgian; akin to Old English & Old High German bellan to roar

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bellow was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bellow

Cite this Entry

“Bellow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bellow. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bellow

verb
bel·​low ˈbel-ō How to pronounce bellow (audio)
: to make a deep loud roar like that of a bull
bellow noun

Biographical Definition

Bellow

biographical name

Bel·​low ˈbe-(ˌ)lō How to pronounce Bellow (audio)
Saul 1915–2005 American (Canadian-born) writer

More from Merriam-Webster on bellow

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