blubbering 1 of 3

blubbering

2 of 3

noun

blubbering

3 of 3

verb

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

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
Verb
The pearl-clutchers are stuck in the past, blubbering over things like the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War or the Waffen-SS slaughtering 84 American soldiers captured in Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge. Doug McIntyre, Oc Register, 7 Dec. 2025 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
Adjective
  • Some in the pro-crying camp pointed to articles and headlines as proof.
    Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Noun
  • Police were deployed at the hospital as grieving parents and relatives gathered, some weeping, while others called for accountability and demanded answers about how the fire began and whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment.
    CBS News, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Grieving parents and relatives gathered at the hospital, some weeping while others demanded answers about how the fire began and whether the nursery had adequate firefighting equipment.
    Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • When the coroner’s deputy lifted Malachi’s body to take it away that night in October 2023, there was no wailing or sobbing from his parents.
    Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026
  • After the conversation, Gajdusek drove down the highway, sobbing.
    Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
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
  • Scarface doesn’t just bark orders at his underlings but browbeats the whimpering Ventriloquist, giving him that warped double personality that made older characters like Two-Face so alluring.
    Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • When this happens, the family finds Cassidy breathing heavily and whimpering.
    Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Houston could soar within it because Parton imbued it with a musical and sentimental purity that made room for the enormity of her expressiveness.
    Ann Powers, NPR, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Ditsy floral quilt toppers add a sentimental anchor to bedrooms, while vintage pieces threaded throughout the rest of the property have been lovingly sourced by the experts at New York’s The Somerset House.
    Dipal Acharya, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • At low speeds through the town of Imola and villages beyond it, the most prominent sound is the whining of the rear differential.
    Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 18 May 2026
  • That broader perspective may explain why Hamlin’s criticisms rarely sound like post-race whining.
    Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Adjective
  • Elordi’s performance is a fine one, but any emotional current from the screen to the audience is made choppy by mawkish blasts to the past, Hig at the edge of his bed, head in hands.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The sounds are chintzy and soaked in reverb, like a mawkish ’80s ballad rewritten from memory, and the whole thing slowly falls apart and fades out like an old track by the Field.
    Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 24 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Blubbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blubbering. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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