What does sob mean?
Word: Sob
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Sob means to cry noisily, taking short, quick breaths. A sob is also one sound of this kind of crying.
Synonyms: cry, wail
How do you spell sob?
Syllables: sob
Tricky part: Sob is short, but watch it grow: it doubles its b in sobbing and sobbed, because it ends in one vowel and one consonant.
Watch out for: sobing, sobed
Memory tip: Rub becomes rubbing, and sob becomes sobbing: two b's as soon as you add -ing or -ed.
Idioms and Phrases
- sob story: a story someone tells to make you feel sorry for them Example: "Arjun told a long sob story about why his homework was late."
Sob in a sentence
Example 1: The baby sobbed until Dadi picked her up and sang to her.
Example 2: Shreya sobbed when her kite got stuck in a tree, until her brother helped her bring it down.
Example 3: After losing the final, the players sobbed for a moment and then clapped for the winners.
Fun Fact
Sob has been used in English since the Middle Ages and probably began as a copy of the sound itself.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with the given word?
sob
a) robe
b) job
c) blob
d) knob
Show answer
a) robe. Robe has a long o, as in rope; the others share the short o of sob.
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
The little boy began to ___ when his balloon floated away.
a) sap
b) sob
c) sub
d) sip
Show answer
b) sob. Crying with short breaths is to sob; sip is a small drink.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) sob
b) sniff
c) wisper
d) giggle
Show answer
c) wisper. Whisper has a silent h after the w.
Spellacadabra
Choose the option in which the following letters will fit in the given order: o, i
a) r__bb__t
b) r__bb__sh
c) s__bb__ng
d) c__bb__ge
Show answer
c) s__bb__ng. Put in o and then i and you get sobbing; rabbit, cabbage and rubbish need other vowels.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Someone who sobs is usually feeling...
a) very proud
b) very sad
c) very sleepy
d) very hungry
Show answer
b) very sad
2. Which word means nearly the same as sob?
a) weep
b) laugh
c) sing
d) yawn
Show answer
a) weep
