cry

American  

[krahy] / kraɪ /

verb (used without object)

cried, crying

1. to utter inarticulate sounds, especially of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears.

   Synonyms:

   moan, keen, wail

2. to weep; shed tears, with or without sound.

   Synonyms:

   whimper, bawl, sob

3. to call loudly; shout; yell (sometimes followed byout ).

   Synonyms:

   scream, ejaculate, exclaim, vociferate, clamor, bawl, yowl

4. to demand resolution or strongly indicate a particular disposition.

   The rise in crime cried out for greater police protection.

5. to give forth vocal sounds or characteristic calls, as animals; yelp; bark.

6. (of a hound or pack) to bay continuously and excitedly in following a scent.

7. (of tin) to make a noise, when bent, like the crumpling of paper.

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verb (used with object)

cried, crying

1. to utter or pronounce loudly; call out.

2. to announce publicly as for sale; advertise.

   to cry one's wares.

3. to beg or plead for; implore.

   to cry mercy.

4. to bring (oneself ) to a specified state by weeping.

   The infant cried itself to sleep.

noun

plural

cries

1. the act or sound of crying; any loud utterance or exclamation; a shout, scream, or wail.

2. clamor; outcry.

3. a fit of weeping.

   to have a good cry.

4. the utterance or call of an animal.

5. a political or party slogan.

6. battle cry.

7. an oral proclamation or announcement.

8. a call of wares for sale, services available, etc., as by a street vendor.

9. public report.

10. an opinion generally expressed.

11. an entreaty; appeal.

12. Fox Hunting.

    1. a pack of hounds.

    2. a continuous baying of a hound or a pack in following a scent.

verb phrase

1. cry off to break a promise, agreement, etc..

   We made arrangements to purchase a house, but the owner cried off at the last minute.

2. cry up to praise; extol.

   to cry up one's profession.

3. cry down to disparage; belittle.

   Those people cry down everyone who differs from them.

idioms

1. cry one's eyes / heart out, to cry excessively or inconsolably.

   The little girl cried her eyes out when her cat died.

2. cry havoc. havoc.

3. in full cry, in hot pursuit.

   The pack followed in full cry.

4. cry over spilled / spilt milk. milk.

5. 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.

cry British  

/ kraɪ /

verb

1. (intr) to utter inarticulate sounds, esp when weeping; sob

2. (intr) to shed tears; weep

3. to scream or shout in pain, terror, etc

4. to utter or shout (words of appeal, exclamation, fear, etc)

5. (of animals, birds, etc) to utter loud characteristic sounds

6. (tr) to hawk or sell by public announcement

   to cry newspapers

7. to announce (something) publicly or in the streets

8. to clamour or beg

9. to call

10. to desire the unattainable

11. to weep bitterly

12. to give up a task, fight, etc

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noun

1. the act or sound of crying; a shout, exclamation, scream, or wail

2. the characteristic utterance of an animal or bird

   the cry of gulls

3. a call

4. archaic an oral announcement, esp one made by town criers

5. a fit of weeping

6. hunting the baying of a pack of hounds hunting their quarry by scent

7. a pack of hounds

8. 1. a long way

   2. something very different

9. (esp of a pack of hounds) in hot pursuit of a quarry

Usage

What 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.

Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

• countercry
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cry

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

Example Sentences

The US actress appeared in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical last year, and made headlines for leaving the stage during each performance to perform Don't Cry For Me Argentina to the general public.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

Imagine if, in “Evita,” audiences members were invited to sing back up on the balcony as Eva Perón belts out “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” accompanying her in her last manipulative hurrah.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

Chinese internet giant TenCent has climbed aboard as an investor in "Rainbow Six" and Ubisoft's other top-selling titles "Assassin's Creed" and "Far Cry".

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

The powerhouse behind sagas like "Assassin's Creed" and "Far Cry" now forecasts a one-billion-euro operating loss for its 2025-26 financial year.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

The weather didn’t stop director Howard Hawks from getting the cameras rolling on Battle Cry.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

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