Blubs

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. To make soft, bubbling, or gurgling sounds often indicating crying or sobbing quietly; to bubble up or gush out slowly as a liquid or emotion might; to utter sounds expressing mild distress or emotional release
2. Emitting small, muffled noises resembling tears welling up; to flow or spurt in small, imperfect bursts like a liquid boiling gently; expressing sorrow or emotional overflow through inaudible sound
3. Producing gentle, bubbling noises associated with quiet weeping or choking back tears; releasing liquid or air in intermittent, slow bursts; conveying subdued feelings through subtle vocal expressions

Etymology: "Blubs" is the third-person singular present form of "blub," a verb meaning to make bubbling sounds, and the verb itself is onomatopoeic: its sound imitates the noise it names. Liquid bubbling up and popping has been a favourite subject for words of this kind. The verb sits in a family of related words that share the same bubbling, rounded shape. "Bleb," a small blister or bubble, and "blob," a drop or rounded mass, are close relatives, and the three seem to draw on the same sense of something swelling up and rounding out. "Blub" joins them as a sound-word rather than a noun for a thing.

Synonyms: cries, sobs, weeps, bawls, wails

Antonyms: laughs, smiles, grins, rejoices, cheers