Meanings
sob1
plural sobs
- onomatopoeicThe sound of sob.
“My husband, alas! whom I now (sob, sob) mourn, A short time since (sob) to this grave (sob) was borne; And (sob) he lies buried in this (sob, sob) grave.”
1874, George Carter Stent, The Jade Chaplet in Twenty-four Beads, page 9
present singular third person sobs · participle present sobbing · participle past sobbed · past sobbed
- intransitiveTo weep with convulsive gasps.
She was sobbing because she was feeling very miserable.
1 more example
She sigh'd, she sobb'd, and, furious with despair, / She rent her garments, and she tore her hair.
1697, Virgil, “Pastoral 5”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC - transitiveTo say (something) while sobbing.
"He doesn't love me!" she sobbed.
- InternetAn exclamation of usually mild displeasure.
not to dog on the movies more but it kinda kills me how violent the itp springlock failure sounds compared to the actual one in the first film sob
2026 September 4, @sleepyowlerin, X (post)1 more example
Shinko Windy #174 -IM NOT CRYING, ARE YOU CRYING? 🥹 Sob, I feel bad this is so rushed, but I had to switch from what I was already drawing to this, this is more important.
2026 August 30, @CicadaDust, X (post)
sob2
present singular third person sobs · participle present sobbing · participle past sobbed · past sobbed
- To soak.
the Tree, being sobbed and wet, ſwells the Wood
1707, J[ohn] Mortimer, The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. […], London: […] J[ohn] H[umphreys] for H[enry] Mortlock […], and J[onathan] Robinson […], →OCLC
SOB3
plural SOBs
- abbreviationcountableinitialismslangvulgarInitialism of son of a bitch.
My father is a bastard / My ma's an S.O.B.
1957, Stephen Sondheim, “Gee, Officer Krupke”, in West Side Story1 more example
Voicing her frustration on the case’s progress, Darlene told the Dayton Daily News, “Up to six months ago, I wanted the SOBs killed. Now I don’t care. I just want to know what happened, and where the body is, and where the remains will be found. […]”
2026 August 6, Nicholas Muhoro, quoting Darlene Farrell, “An Ohio Teen Vanished During a One-Mile Drive in 1994. Her Locked Car Was Found Hours Later”, in Skip Boring, archived from the original on 06 Aug 2026 - abbreviationinitialismuncountableInitialism of shortness of breath.
- abbreviationcountablein pluralinitialismuncountableaeronauticsInitialism of souls on board.
- abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableInitialism of sum of best.
- abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablebusinessInitialism of share of business.
- abbreviationcountableinitialismhistoryInitialism of seal on a bedsheet, used humorously to recall the first sense
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nouninsulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
sob · noun, verb, interjection
- Middle Low Germansabben“to drool, slobber, salivate”
- Middle Englishsobben
- Englishsob
From Middle English sobben, perhaps from Middle Low German sabben (“to drool, slobber, salivate”). Cognate with West Frisian sabje, sobje (“to suck”), Dutch zabben, sabbelen (“to suck”), zabberen (“to drool”), German Low German sabbeln, severn (“to drool”), German sabbern (“to drool, slobber”), Norwegian sabbe (“to spill, drop, make a mess”). Compare also Old English sēofian (“to lament”), German saufen (“to drink, swig”).
More words from Middle English, Middle Low German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic شهيق, شهقة
- شهيق (šahīq)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- شهقة (šahqa)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- شَهِقَ (šahiqa)weep with convulsive gasps
Bulgarian ридание, ридая
- ридание (ridanie)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- ридая (ridaja)weep with convulsive gasps
- хлипам (hlipam)weep with convulsive gasps
- говоря през сълзи (govorja prez sălzi)say (something) while sobbing
Catalan sanglot, sanglotar
- sanglota cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- sanglotarweep with convulsive gasps
Chinese Mandarin 泣不成聲 /泣不成声, 痛哭
- 泣不成聲 /泣不成声 (qìbùchéngshēng)weep with convulsive gasps
- 痛哭 (tòngkū)weep with convulsive gasps
Czech vzlykat, štkát
- vzlykatweep with convulsive gasps
- štkátweep with convulsive gasps
Danish hulk, hulken
- hulka cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- hulkena cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- hulkeweep with convulsive gasps
- hulkesay (something) while sobbing
Dutch snik, snotteren
- snika cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- snotterenweep with convulsive gasps
- snikkensay (something) while sobbing
Esperanto ĝemploro, ploregi
- ĝemploroa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- ploregiweep with convulsive gasps
- ĝemploriweep with convulsive gasps
Finnish nyyhkäys, nyyhkytys
- nyyhkäysa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- nyyhkytysa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- nyyhkyttääweep with convulsive gasps
- nyyhkyttääsay (something) while sobbing
French sanglot, sangloter
- sanglota cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- sangloterweep with convulsive gasps
- dire en sanglotantsay (something) while sobbing
- fdpson of a bitch (abbreviation)
German Schluchzen, Schluchzer
- Schluchzena cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- Schluchzera cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- schluchzenweep with convulsive gasps
- schluchzensay (something) while sobbing
- Husoson of a bitch (abbreviation)
Greek αναφιλητό, λυγμός
- αναφιλητό (anafilitó)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- λυγμός (lygmós)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- κλαίω με λυγμούς (klaío me lygmoús)weep with convulsive gasps
Hindi मुसमुसाना
- मुसमुसाना (musmusānā)weep with convulsive gasps
Hungarian zokogás, zokog
- zokogása cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- zokogweep with convulsive gasps
Icelandic snökkt, ekki
- snökkta cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- ekkia cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- ekkasoga cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- andvarpa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- snöktaweep with convulsive gasps
- stynjaweep with convulsive gasps
- andvarpaweep with convulsive gasps
- grátaweep with convulsive gasps
- stynja uppweep with convulsive gasps
- stynja uppsay (something) while sobbing
- segja frá með ekkasay (something) while sobbing
Irish cuach
- cuacha cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
Italian singhiozzo, singhiozzare
- singhiozzoa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- singhiozzareweep with convulsive gasps
Japanese すすり泣き, 啜り泣く
- すすり泣き (susurinaki)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- 啜り泣くweep with convulsive gasps
Latin singultus
- singultusa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
Latvian elsas, šņuksti
- elsasa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- šņukstia cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- elsotweep with convulsive gasps
- šņukstētsay (something) while sobbing
Lithuanian raudoti
- raudotiweep with convulsive gasps
Māori koto, kotokoto
- kotoweep with convulsive gasps
- kotokotoweep with convulsive gasps
- horuhoruweep with convulsive gasps
- horuweep with convulsive gasps
- hotuweep with convulsive gasps
- hotuhotuweep with convulsive gasps
Persian هق, هقهق
- هقa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- هقهقa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- هقیدنweep with convulsive gasps
- هقیدنsay (something) while sobbing
- هقگفتنsay (something) while sobbing
Polish łkanie, szlochanie
- łkaniea cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- szlochaniea cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- szlocha cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- łkaćweep with convulsive gasps
- szlochaćweep with convulsive gasps
Portuguese soluço, soluçar
- soluçoa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- soluçarweep with convulsive gasps
- fdpson of a bitch (abbreviation)
Romanian suspin, hohoti
- suspina cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- hohotiweep with convulsive gasps
- bociweep with convulsive gasps
Russian всхли́пывание, рыда́ние
- всхли́пывание (vsxlípyvanije)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- рыда́ние (rydánije)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- всхли́пывать (vsxlípyvatʹ)weep with convulsive gasps
- всхли́пнуть (vsxlípnutʹ)weep with convulsive gasps
- рыда́ть (rydátʹ)weep with convulsive gasps
Spanish sollozo, llanto
- sollozoa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- llantoa cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- sollozarweep with convulsive gasps
- llantearweep with convulsive gasps
- plañirweep with convulsive gasps
- hdpson of a bitch (abbreviation)
Swedish snyft, snyftning
- snyfta cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- snyftninga cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- snyftaweep with convulsive gasps
Tagalog hikbi
- hikbia cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
Thai บ้าจริง
- บ้าจริงson of a bitch (abbreviation)
Ukrainian рида́ння, реві́ння
- рида́ння (rydánnja)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- реві́ння (revínnja)a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
- рида́ти (rydáty)weep with convulsive gasps
- реві́ти (revíty)weep with convulsive gasps
- схли́пувати (sxlýpuvaty)weep with convulsive gasps
- схлипну́ти (sxlypnúty)weep with convulsive gasps
Vietnamese khóc thổn thức, thổn thức
- khóc thổn thứcweep with convulsive gasps
- thổn thứcweep with convulsive gasps
- khóc hu huweep with convulsive gasps
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sob
Anagrams
Cite this entry
sob. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sob
“sob.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sob. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sob,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sob.
Source: sob on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.