What does bellow mean?
Word: Bellow
Part of Speech: Verb, noun
Meaning: Bellow means to shout or roar in a deep, loud voice. As a noun, it is a deep, loud shout.
Synonyms: roar
How do you spell bellow?
Syllables: bel - low
Tricky part: Count the letters with care. Drop one from the middle and you have written a different, very common word, and the stress moves too.
Watch out for: bellaw, bellowe
Memory tip: Check it by counting on your fingers: six letters in all. One fewer gives you another word.
Bellow in a sentence
Example 1: The umpire had to bellow to make himself heard.
Example 2: Papa had to bellow from the gate to call us in for dinner.
Example 3: "Run faster," bellowed Mr Nair from the side of the track.
Fun Fact
Bellows, the tool that blows air into a fire, looks like the same word but has its own separate dictionary entry. It has nothing to do with shouting.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Twins
Read the sentences and choose the correct option:
1. The coach had to bellow over the noise of the crowd. 2. The river flows far bellow the old stone bridge.
a) only 2
b) only 1
c) both
d) neither
Show answer
b) only 1. Sentence 2 needs the word for under, which is spelt differently.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with bellow?
a) yellow
b) mellow
c) fellow
d) shallow
Show answer
d) shallow. Shallow has the short a of cat in its first part, so its sound is different.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
oblewl
a) to walk slowly along without a clear aim in mind
b) to stitch two pieces of cloth firmly together
c) to call out with great force from deep in the chest
d) to fasten something tightly with a length of rope
Show answer
c) to call out with great force from deep in the chest. The scramble hides bellow, a powerful shout from the chest.
Word Champ
Read the statements and choose the correct option:
1. A street seller may bellow to be heard over the traffic. 2. A librarian may whisper so as not to disturb readers. 3. A person who mumbles speaks loudly and very clearly.
a) only 1 is true
b) only 1 and 2 are true
c) only 2 and 3 are true
d) all three are true
Show answer
b) only 1 and 2 are true. Mumbling is low and unclear, so statement 3 is false.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In which situation would a person most need to bellow?
a) reading quietly inside the library
b) telling a friend a secret in class
c) humming softly during an art lesson
d) calling a friend across a noisy ground
Show answer
d) calling a friend across a noisy ground
2. Which animal sound is closest to a bellow?
a) the high squeak of a mouse
b) the low, loud call of a bull
c) the soft coo of a dove
d) the quiet hiss of a cat
Show answer
b) the low, loud call of a bull
