Etymology 1
From Middle English sobben , perhaps from Middle Low German sabben ( “ to drool, slobber, salivate ” ) . Cognate with West Frisian sabje , sobje ( “ to suck ” ) , Dutch zabben , sabbelen ( “ to suck ” ) , zabberen ( “ to drool ” ) , German Low German sabbeln , severn ( “ to drool ” ) , German sabbern ( “ to drool, slobber ” ) , Norwegian sabbe ( “ to spill, drop, make a mess ” ) . Compare also Old English sēofian ( “ to lament ” ) , German saufen ( “ to drink, swig ” ) .
Noun
sob (plural sobs )
A cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath.
( onomatopoeia ) sound of sob
1874 , George Carter Stent, The Jade Chaplet in Twenty-four Beads , page 9 :“My husband, alas! whom I now (sob , sob ) mourn, A short time since (sob ) to this grave (sob ) was borne; And (sob ) he lies buried in this (sob , sob ) grave.”
Translations
a cry with a short, sudden expulsion of breath
Bulgarian: ридание (bg) n ( ridanie )
Catalan: sanglot (ca) m
Danish: hulk n , hulken c
Dutch: snik (nl) c
Esperanto: ĝemploro
Faroese: higst n
Finnish: nyyhkäys (fi) , nyyhkytys (fi)
French: sanglot (fr) m
Friulian: sangloç m
Galician: salouco m
German: Schluchzen (de) n , Schluchzer (de) m
Greek: αναφιλητό (el) n ( anafilitó ) , λυγμός (el) m ( lygmós )
Hungarian: zokogás (hu)
Icelandic: snökkt n , ekki (is) m , ekkasog n , andvarp (is) n
Irish: cuach f
Italian: singhiozzo (it)
Japanese: すすり泣き ( susurinaki )
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھەنیسک ( henîsk ) , بەرانیسک ( beranîsk )
Laki: ڤِرەنِسک ( virenisk )
Southern Kurdish: وەرەنیسک (ku) ( werenîsk )
Latin: singultus m
Latvian: elsas f pl , šņuksti m pl
Persian: هق (fa) , هقهق
Polish: łkanie (pl) n , szlochanie (pl) n , szloch (pl) m
Portuguese: soluço (pt) m
Romanian: suspin (ro) n
Romansch: singlut m , sanglut , singlot , sangluot , singluot
Russian: всхли́пывание (ru) n ( vsxlípyvanije ) , ( loud ) рыда́ние (ru) n ( rydánije )
Serbo-Croatian: jecanje (sh) n
Cyrillic: је̏ца̄ј m
Roman: jȅcāj (sh) m
Sicilian: sugghiuzzu (scn) m , sugliuzzu (scn) , sigghiuzzu (scn) , sigliuzzu (scn)
Slovene: ihta f
Spanish: sollozo (es) m
Swedish: snyft (sv) n , snyftning (sv) c
Ukrainian: рида́ння ( rydánnja ) , реві́ння ( revínnja )
Venetan: sangiuto (vec) m , sangiut , sangioto , sangiot
Verb
sob (third-person singular simple present sobs , present participle sobbing , simple past and past participle sobbed )
( intransitive ) To weep with convulsive gasps .
She was sobbing because she was feeling very miserable.
1697 , Virgil , “Pastoral 5”, in John Dryden , transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. [ … ] , London: [ … ] Jacob Tonson , [ … ] , →OCLC :She sigh'd, she sobb'd , and, furious with despair, / She rent her garments, and she tore her hair.
( transitive ) To say (something) while sobbing.
"He doesn't love me! " she sobbed .
Translations
weep with convulsive gasps
Bulgarian: ридая (bg) n ( ridaja ) , хлипам (bg) ( hlipam )
Catalan: sanglotar (ca)
Czech: vzlykat (cs) impf , štkát (cs) impf
Danish: hulke
Dutch: snotteren (nl)
Esperanto: ploregi , ĝemplori
Faroese: higsta
Finnish: nyyhkyttää (fi)
French: sangloter (fr)
Friulian: sangloçâ
Galician: saloucar , choricar
German: schluchzen (de)
Greek: κλαίω με λυγμούς ( klaío me lygmoús )
Hungarian: zokog (hu)
Icelandic: snökta , stynja , andvarpa , gráta (is) , stynja upp
Italian: singhiozzare (it)
Japanese: 啜り泣く (ja)
Latvian: elsot
Maori: koto , kotokoto , horuhoru , horu , hotu , hotuhotu
Occitan: saumucar , samucar
Persian: هقیدن
Polish: łkać (pl) , szlochać (pl)
Portuguese: soluçar (pt)
Quechua: hik'ipakuy
Romanian: hohoti (ro) , boci (ro)
Romansch: sanglutter , singlouotar
Russian: всхли́пывать (ru) impf ( vsxlípyvatʹ ) , всхли́пнуть (ru) pf ( vsxlípnutʹ ) , ( loud ) рыда́ть (ru) impf ( rydátʹ )
Serbo-Croatian: jecati (sh)
Slovene: ihteti impf
Spanish: sollozar (es)
Swedish: snyfta (sv)
Ukrainian: рида́ти impf ( rydáty ) , реві́ти impf ( revíty )
Venetan: sangiutar , sangiotar
Vietnamese: khóc thổn thức , thổn thức (vi) , khóc hu hu
say (something) while sobbing
Translations to be checked
Etymology 2
See sop .
Verb
sob (third-person singular simple present sobs , present participle sobbing , simple past and past participle sobbed )
To soak .
1707 , J[ ohn] Mortimer , The Whole Art of Husbandry; or, The Way of Managing and Improving of Land. [ … ] , London: [ … ] J[ ohn] H[ umphreys] for H[ enry] Mortlock [ … ] , and J[ onathan] Robinson [ … ] , →OCLC :the Tree, being sobbed and wet, ſwells the Wood
Anagrams
OSB , bos , SBO , BSO , obs. , BOs , B.O.s , obs , Bos. , Obs , BOS , OBs
sob
Further reading
“sob ”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
“sob ”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
“sob ”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech)
Noun
sȍb m (Cyrillic spelling со̏б )
reindeer
Synonym: irvas
Declension
More information singular, plural ...
Close
Further reading
“sob ”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [ Croatian language portal ] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024
Further reading
“sob ”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [ Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science ] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk , 2003–2024
Noun
sob (nominative plural sobs )
soap
Declension
More information singular, plural ...
Close
declension of sob
1 status as a case is disputed
2 in later, non-classical Volapük only