cry

1 of 2

verb

ˈkrī

cried; crying

Synonyms of cry next

transitive verb

: to utter loudly : shout

He cried "Wait!" but it was too late.

archaic : beg, beseech

: to proclaim publicly : advertise

cry their wares

intransitive verb

: to call loudly : shout

She cried out for help.

: to shed tears often noisily : weep, sob

The child began to cry after she dropped her ice-cream cone.

: to utter a characteristic sound or call

heard the seagulls crying

: to require or suggest strongly a remedy or disposition (see disposition sense 2b)

… there are a hundred things which cry out for planning …—

Roger Burlingame

cry

2 of 2

noun

plural cries

: an instance of crying: such as

: an inarticulate utterance of distress, rage, or pain

obsolete : outcry, clamor

obsolete : proclamation

cries plural, Scotland : banns

: entreaty, appeal

a cry for help

: a loud shout

: watchword, slogan

: common report

: a general opinion

: the public voice raised in protest or approval

: a fit of weeping

: the characteristic sound or call of an animal

: a pack of hounds

b(1)

: pursuit

—used in the phrase in full cry

hounds in full cry

(2)

: a peak of activity or excitement

—used in the phrase in full cry

a campaign in full cry

Phrases

cry havoc

: to sound an alarm

cry over spilled milk

: to express vain regrets for what cannot be recovered or undone

You made a mistake, but there's no use crying over spilled milk.

cry wolf

: to give alarm unnecessarily

News organizations have been warned not to cry wolf.

Example Sentences

Verb The baby is crying. Is she okay? Some people cry more easily than others. He cried silently while the song played. She cried all the way home from school that day. She couldn't imagine why anyone would cry over a stupid movie. She was crying with relief. They cried tears of joy. “Help,” he cried, “Get a doctor! Quick!” I heard someone cry “Wait!” but the train pulled away anyway. She'd never heard the sound of sea gulls crying by the shore. Noun The baby's cry woke me out of a deep sleep. There was a cry of “Fire” and we all rushed for the exits. The children were playing a game and their happy cries echoed through the house. the wild cry of a coyote See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Prude yelled, before making a series of unintelligible sounds and appearing to cry as the officer continued to hold down his head for the next three minutes. —

Victoria Albert, CBS News, 3 Sep. 2020 Sneezing, crying, soft spots, hiccups, visible veins on your baby's head, and plenty of other newborn behaviors and features are just a completely normal part of being a tiny baby. —

Denise Schipani, Parents, 22 June 2023 Other videos showed at least six fire trucks at the scene and some onlookers crying. —

Danielle Wallace, Fox News, 22 June 2023 The jury also heard from Kyle Laman, who was shot in the leg in the third floor hallway and cried as he was shown surveillance footage of the attack. —

Dakin Andone, CNN, 21 June 2023 Simmons' estranged family is calling him out on social media, with 20-year-old Aoki sharing texts and soundless video call recordings in which the Def Jam co-founder appears to berate his crying daughter. —

Devan Coggan, EW.com, 20 June 2023 The people in front of her demanded new seats right away - and then the baby started to cry before the plane even took off. —

Hannah Sampson, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023 Ana Rivera can still remember in the early days of the pandemic the wails of her two children crying outside her bedroom door. —

Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 16 June 2023 The attention was being given to me, crying in a corner. —

Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2023

Noun

Among the bloodied chocobos of this flashback, there are also soldiers cut down in splashes of gore, political intrigue, and a pivotal scene punctuated by heaving sobs and guttural cries of torment. —

WIRED, 24 June 2023 Earlier this month, the rapper Chika took her complaints to Twitter when a tiny first-class passenger’s cries woke her up. —

Hannah Sampson, Anchorage Daily News, 18 June 2023 The visitors connected a series of passes in the midfield, inspiring cries from the corner of BMO Stadium occupied by their supporters. —

Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2023 Woman survives on candy and wine after being lost in the wilderness for 5 days: Police Upon arriving on the scene, the officers heard the same faint cries of someone yelling in the distance. —

Jon Haworth, ABC News, 11 May 2023 In recent years, the word has been weaponized as a rallying cry against progressive ideas and policies. —

Jenna Wortham, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2023 Even as the deficit blossomed, GOP lawmakers previously supported efforts to raise the debt ceiling under President Donald Trump — sparking cries of hypocrisy from Democrats, who did not withhold their votes then. —

Tony Romm, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2023 Also associated with the dawn was the howler monkey, whose hearty cry would greet the morning. —

Benjamin Lima, Dallas News, 2 June 2023 His wife, model and actress Bijou Phillips, let out a pained cry when the verdict was read and sobbed heavily as Masterson was led away in handcuffs. —

James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.