View synonyms for

cry

[krahy]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used without object)

cried, crying

to utter inarticulate sounds, especially of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears.
Synonyms: , ,
to weep; shed tears, with or without sound.
Synonyms: , ,
to call loudly; shout; yell (sometimes followed byout ).
Synonyms: , , , , , ,
to demand resolution or strongly indicate a particular disposition.
The rise in crime cried out for greater police protection.
to give forth vocal sounds or characteristic calls, as animals; yelp; bark.
(of a hound or pack) to bay continuously and excitedly in following a scent.
(of tin) to make a noise, when bent, like the crumpling of paper.

verb (used with object)

cried, crying

to utter or pronounce loudly; call out.
to announce publicly as for sale; advertise.
to cry one's wares.
to beg or plead for; implore.
to cry mercy.
to bring (oneself ) to a specified state by weeping.
The infant cried itself to sleep.

noun

plural

cries

the act or sound of crying; any loud utterance or exclamation; a shout, scream, or wail.
clamor; outcry.
a fit of weeping.
to have a good cry.
the utterance or call of an animal.
a political or party slogan.
battle cry.
an oral proclamation or announcement.
a call of wares for sale, services available, etc., as by a street vendor.
public report.
an opinion generally expressed.
an entreaty; appeal.
Fox Hunting.��
1. a pack of hounds.
2. a continuous baying of a hound or a pack in following a scent.

verb phrase

to break a promise, agreement, etc..
We made arrangements to purchase a house, but the owner cried off at the last minute.
to praise; extol.
to cry up one's profession.
to disparage; belittle.
Those people cry down everyone who differs from them.

cry

/ ��ɪ /

verb

(intr) to utter inarticulate sounds, esp when weeping; sob
(intr) to shed tears; weep
to scream or shout in pain, terror, etc
to utter or shout (words of appeal, exclamation, fear, etc)
(of animals, birds, etc) to utter loud characteristic sounds
(tr) to hawk or sell by public announcement
to cry newspapers
to announce (something) publicly or in the streets
to clamour or beg
to call
to desire the unattainable
to weep bitterly
to give up a task, fight, etc

noun

the act or sound of crying; a shout, exclamation, scream, or wail
the characteristic utterance of an animal or bird
the cry of gulls
a call
archaic��an oral announcement, esp one made by town criers
a fit of weeping
hunting the baying of a pack of hounds hunting their quarry by scent
a pack of hounds
1. a long way
2. something very different
(esp of a pack of hounds) in hot pursuit of a quarry

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Other Word Forms

countercry noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cry¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English verb crien, from Anglo-French, Old French crier, from unattested Vulgar Latin ��ī�� for Latin ��ܾ��ī�� “to cry out in protest, make a public cry”; associated by folk etymology with �ϳܾ��ī��ŧ�� Quirites; noun from the verb

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cry¹

C13: from Old French crier, from Latin ��ܾ��ī�� to call for help

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

cry one's eyes / heart out, to cry excessively or inconsolably.
The little girl cried her eyes out when her cat died.
cry havoc. havoc.
in full cry, in hot pursuit.
The pack followed in full cry.
cry over spilled / spilt milk. milk.
a far cry,
1. quite some distance; a long way.
2. only remotely related; very different.
  This treatment is a far cry from that which we received before.

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Synonym Study

Cry, shout, bellow, roar refer to kinds of loud articulate or inarticulate sounds. Cry is the general word: to cry out. To shout is to raise the voice loudly in uttering words or other articulate sounds: He shouted to his companions. Bellow refers to the loud, deep cry of a bull, moose, etc., or, somewhat in deprecation, to human utterance that suggests such a sound: The speaker bellowed his answer. Roar refers to a deep, hoarse, rumbling or vibrant cry, often of tumultuous volume: The crowd roared approval.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Her matches were always well attended, with cries of "we love you Emma!" heard throughout.

From

It’s a far cry from the hints of optimism some in the industry had toward the end of last year.

From

"The biggest thing I remember was the crying. My daughter clearly needed support and my wife was noticeably struggling and exhausted."

From

Under the rallying cry “No Kings,” the movement’s flagship demonstration is happening in Philadelphia, while cities like New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto, London and Nairobi are also seeing crowds.

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"Some days I go there sit down and just cry," she says.

From

Related Words

bellow��
call��
cheer��
clamor��
exclamation��
holler��
howl��
outcry��
roar��
scream��
shout��
shriek��
uproar��
yawp��
yell��
yelp��

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When To Use

�� is a basic definition fo��cry?

Cry means to make sad noises along with tears, to yell loudly, or to make an animal’s noise. Cry has several other senses as a verb and a noun.A person will cry when they are overcome with intense emotion, such as sadness, despair, or joy. Intense pain can also make a person start to cry. Crying can involve tears coming from the eyes or whimpering, sniffling, or other miserable noises or both. Children and babies usually cry more often than adults, but crying is a natural way of expressing an intense feeling.

Real-life examples: Babies frequently cry to tell their parents there is a problem. Young children cry when they want something or something has upset them. People often cry at funerals. Parents might cry due to happiness at the birth of a new baby.

Used in a sentence: He cried from joy when he saw that his daughter was safe.

This sense is also used as a noun to mean an act of crying.

Used in a sentence: I had a long cry yesterday.

Cry can also mean to shout or yell really loudly. This sense of cry is sometimes followed by the word out.

Used in a sentence: I cried out to my sister to warn her of the oncoming car.

When animals cry, they are making a distinct noise. This sense of cry is used similarly to words like yelp, bark, screech, and howl.

Used in a sentence: I heard wolves cry in the woods.

In this sense, cry is also used as a noun to mean a particular noise that an animal makes.

Used in a sentence: My dog gave a long, loud cry.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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