1 B1 idiomatic informal
To reprimand or scold someone very loudly and angrily.
"The coach bawled the players out at half-time for their sloppy defending."
separable
bawl out
B1 informal separable transitive/intransitive
To scold or reprimand someone loudly and angrily; or to shout or cry very loudly.
In plain English
To yell at someone for doing something wrong, or to cry or shout very loudly.
What does "bawl out" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 informal
To shout or call out something very loudly.
"He bawled out the names of the winners so the whole room could hear."
separable
3 B2 idiomatic informal
To cry loudly and without restraint. (Chiefly American English, intransitive)
"She bawled out all the way home after saying goodbye to her best friend."
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To bawl (yell/cry) something out — to push it outward with loud noise.
Actually means
To yell at someone for doing something wrong, or to cry or shout very loudly.
Usage tip
Common in American and British English. The 'reprimand' sense is the most frequent. The 'cry loudly' sense (intransitive) is chiefly American. In formal settings, 'reprimand' or 'rebuke' would replace this phrase.
Words that pair with "bawl out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
boss coach parent mistake error publicly
How to conjugate "bawl out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
bawl out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bawls out
he/she/it
Past simple
bawled out
yesterday
Past participle
bawled out
have + pp
-ing form
bawling out
continuous
Hear "bawl out" in the wild
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