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
  • Body camera footage showed Flynn weeping, covering his face, and rocking back and forth as police searched his home.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
  • When the curtain went up, Valencia spent the first several minutes overcome by emotion, glassy-eyed and weeping.
    — Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Genevieve Verlander, wearing a Tigers jersey with her dad's name and number, sprinted to the mound and hugged her father, who reached down to embrace her and started shaking and sobbing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Moaning, sobbing, pleading, the woman grasps the hand of her daughter, Ema (Mercedes Morán).
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 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
  • The filing also alleges Pike suggested where staff should try inserting the IV, one needle was bent at a 90-degree angle when it was removed, and she could be heard crying, whimpering and breathing loudly throughout the procedure.
    — Greg Wehner , Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Adjective
  • What was once a contemporary exploration of horror has become a sentimental aesthetic, with this particular version of 2011 looking ironically idealistic because younger viewers never had to live inside it.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In a sentimental moment before Game 2 of the Wild Card Series, Bellinger caught the ceremonial first pitch from his father, Clay Bellinger, who played for the Yankees from 1999-2001.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 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 9 Oct. 2026.

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