blubbering 1 of 3

present participle of blubber
as in sobbing
to shed tears often while making meaningless sounds as a sign of pain or distress the poor child was blubbering because he had fallen and skinned his knee

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

blubbering

2 of 3

adjective

blubbering

3 of 3

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of blubbering
Noun
Wanting to make Lambert more than some blubbering wreck, Cartwright emphasized her common sense. Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blubbering
Verb
  • Reich remembers Zettel crying and her daughter leaving in an ambulance.
    David Clarey, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Gretchen continues this revelation on the bus and starts crying.
    Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Budj Bim assigned the weeping she-oak (Casuarina) trees, whose whispering voices can be heard in the wind, to be the guardian spirits of the landscape.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The goal is Keyshawn’s eventual weeping breakdown.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Now instead of celebrating his release, Adel was sobbing.
    Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
  • In a video testimony, the man, whose name was not released, is seen falling to his knees and sobbing.
    Diaa Ostaz, ABC News, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Sitting opposite an old people’s home in a residential corner of Paris’ 14th arrondissement, La Santé’s unassuming presence is only given away by the occasional wailing siren as prisoners are transported to and from the site.
    Joseph Ataman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • And since then, his crying and whining have increased.
    Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
  • As seen and heard this week at the SEC spring meetings, the whining over that has not ceased.
    Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Adjective
  • Her voice unleashes a sentimental whirlpool of longing, betrayal, and post-breakup rage without a hint of irony.
    Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2025
  • At the time, the New York Giants star posted a sentimental social media tribute in honor of the occasion.
    Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • After a mawkish beginning, the play somewhat redeems itself through earned emotions and an ambiguous ending that begs discussion.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 June 2025
  • Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, jailed and banned frequently, has never allowed his work to get mawkish.
    Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • In the season’s back half, neither its overloading of vile desecrations nor maudlin sentimentality adds anything that Monster hadn’t already established four episodes ago.
    Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 4 Oct. 2025
  • While such a scenario sounds potentially maudlin and manipulative, Lucero — who wrote the film from a personal place — never allows that to happen by making the characters complex and flawed, and laboring under real-life issues.
    Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Blubbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blubbering. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on blubbering

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!