sobbed; sobbing
1
a
: to catch the breath audibly in a spasmodic contraction of the throat
b
: to cry or weep with convulsive catching of the breath
2
: to make a sound like that of a sob or sobbing
1
: to bring to a specified state by sobbing
sobbed himself to sleep
2
: to utter with sobs
sobbed out her grief
1
: an act of sobbing
2
: a sound like that of a sob
plural SOBs or SOB's
slang, sometimes offensive
: son of a bitch
He's one arrogant/tough/greedy SOB.
… a guy who brought two dozen roses to a first coffee date and told you he felt like the luckiest SOB on the planet in the first five minutes.—
Today
Today
Examples of sob in a Sentence
Verb
He began to sob uncontrollably.
She could not stop sobbing.
“I hate you,” she sobbed.
Noun (2)
I hate that miserable SOB.
Recent Examples on the WebDavid D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
In her book, Foley describes receiving a phone call 21 months later on Aug. 19, 2014, from a news reporter who was sobbing on the other end.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
Harris had been sobbing and did not speak much with officers or detectives at the home, documents state.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
The ex-deputy walked away sobbing, red in the face and looking down, shackles around his waist and wrists.
—Emma Tucker, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Nearly two years after a 9-year-old sobbed and pleaded that her pet goat, Cedar, not be sold and slaughtered for meat, Shasta District Fair officials still refuse to answer the question: Who killed the goat?
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
His wife’s trial was marked by emotional testimony, with video and photos of the shooting shown to jurors, and Jennifer Crumbley at times audibly sobbing in her seat.
—Selina Guevara, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2024
Ahmed smashed his phone to pieces, sobbing, and locked himself in his room.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Travis, of course, was sobbing behind sunglasses in the front row.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2024
Most people on flights are absorbed into their own movies, books or podcasts and unlikely to notice if someone sheds a tear or suppresses a sob while huddled up in their own seat.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2024
At several junctures during his emotional retirement speech on Monday, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce paused to collect his thoughts and fight back sobs.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024
In all, 36 paintings show the sobs and despair of the show’s women — 30 line the two longer gallery walls; six more hang from a red-velvet curtain on the shorter back wall.
—Virginia Brown, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Prayers and sobs can be heard as a crowd gathers around the body, and one man furiously tries to revive the dead man.
—Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 24 Jan. 2024
The decision drew sobs of relief from the woman and a rebuke from the victim's father.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2024
Thinking about my mother, at home without me, sent me into paroxysms of tears – big, rolling sobs that welled up from someplace deep and uncharted.
—Various Staff Writers, Special Correspondents, and Special Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Dec. 2023
But later, in a videotaped hospital reunion with her parents in which she was blocked from view, the young woman’s audible sobs turned to wild, wordless keening.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023
Verb
Moments later, his mother was rushing out the door, sobbing.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
In her book, Foley describes receiving a phone call 21 months later on Aug. 19, 2014, from a news reporter who was sobbing on the other end.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024
Harris had been sobbing and did not speak much with officers or detectives at the home, documents state.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 27 Mar. 2024
The ex-deputy walked away sobbing, red in the face and looking down, shackles around his waist and wrists.
—Emma Tucker, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024
Nearly two years after a 9-year-old sobbed and pleaded that her pet goat, Cedar, not be sold and slaughtered for meat, Shasta District Fair officials still refuse to answer the question: Who killed the goat?
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
His wife’s trial was marked by emotional testimony, with video and photos of the shooting shown to jurors, and Jennifer Crumbley at times audibly sobbing in her seat.
—Selina Guevara, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2024
Ahmed smashed his phone to pieces, sobbing, and locked himself in his room.
—Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
Travis, of course, was sobbing behind sunglasses in the front row.
—Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
But those sobs weren't for nothing: By the end of the After the Final Rose episode, Mesnick had changed his mind.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 26 Mar. 2024
Most people on flights are absorbed into their own movies, books or podcasts and unlikely to notice if someone sheds a tear or suppresses a sob while huddled up in their own seat.
—Olivia Morelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Mar. 2024
At several junctures during his emotional retirement speech on Monday, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce paused to collect his thoughts and fight back sobs.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 4 Mar. 2024
In all, 36 paintings show the sobs and despair of the show’s women — 30 line the two longer gallery walls; six more hang from a red-velvet curtain on the shorter back wall.
—Virginia Brown, Charlotte Observer, 31 Jan. 2024
Prayers and sobs can be heard as a crowd gathers around the body, and one man furiously tries to revive the dead man.
—Yasmine Salam, NBC News, 24 Jan. 2024
The decision drew sobs of relief from the woman and a rebuke from the victim's father.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2024
Thinking about my mother, at home without me, sent me into paroxysms of tears – big, rolling sobs that welled up from someplace deep and uncharted.
—Various Staff Writers, Special Correspondents, and Special Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Dec. 2023
But later, in a videotaped hospital reunion with her parents in which she was blocked from view, the young woman’s audible sobs turned to wild, wordless keening.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 29 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sob.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near sob
Cite this Entry
“Sob.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sob. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sob
1 of 2 verb
sobbed; sobbing
1
: to weep especially with short gasping sounds
2
: to bring to a specified state by sobbing
sobbed myself to sleep
3
a
: to make a sound like that of sobbing
the wind sobbed through the trees
b
: to utter with sobs
sobbed out their story
sob
2 of 2 noun1
: an act of sobbing
2
: a sound of or like that of sobbing
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