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sob

verb · noun

Simple meaning

To weep with convulsive gasps.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

sahb
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈsɑb

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. intransitive

    To weep with convulsive gasps.

  2. Weep convulsively

  3. transitive

    To say (something) while sobbing.

  4. To soak.

noun

  1. A cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath.

  2. uncountable

    Difficulty in breathing.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Uncommon

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: To weep with convulsive gasps.

Used this way, sob is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
No strong connotation
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

sob storygreat sobhalf sobsob rosechoking sobsob uncontrollably

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • sob sisternounCompound term

    A journalist who specializes in sentimental stories.

  • sob storynounCompound term

    A sentimental story (or drama) of personal distress.

  • sob stuffnounCompound term

    A sentimental story (or drama) of personal distress.

  • sober upverbCompound term

    Become sober after excessive alcohol consumption.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.