cry

[ krahy ]

See synonyms for: cry cried cries crying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),cried, cry·ing.

to utter inarticulate sounds, especially of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears.
to weep; shed tears, with or without sound.

to call loudly; shout; yell (sometimes followed by out).
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, cry·ing.

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.
- a pack of hounds.
- a continuous baying of a hound or a pack in following a scent.

Verb Phrases

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

cry up, to praise; extol: to cry up one's profession.

Idioms about cry

a far cry,
- quite some distance; a long way.
- only remotely related; very different: This treatment is a far cry from that which we received before.
cry havoc. havoc (def. 4).

cry one's eyes / heart out, to cry excessively or inconsolably: The little girl cried her eyes out when her cat died.
cry over spilled / spilt milk. milk (def. 12).
in full cry, in hot pursuit: The pack followed in full cry.

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

synonym study For cry

3. 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 words for cry

1	wail, keen, moan
2	sob, bawl, whimper
3	yowl, bawl, clamor, vociferate, exclaim, ejaculate, scream

See synonyms for cry on Thesaurus.com

Other words from cry

coun·ter·cry, noun, plural coun·ter·cries.

Words Nearby cry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cry in a sentence

She’s the closest thing on the train to a doctor, and following cries for help, she rushes to save the woman with a defibrillator.
Stream or Skip? A Synthetic Biologist’s Review of ‘Biohackers’ on Netflix | Elsa Sotiriadis | September 2, 2020 | Singularity Hub
It’s a far cry from previous platform rollouts like Facebook Watch and Snapchat Discover when big-name publisher partners were proudly included in the launch announcements.
‘There’s no revenue on it’: Why publishers aren’t prioritizing Instagram Reels | Lara O'Reilly | August 13, 2020 | Digiday
Members should be well prepared to ask questions – a far cry from the days when Alaska Senator Ted Stevens infamously described the internet as “a series of tubes” in a net neutrality hearing nearly 15 years ago.
Apple, Amazon, Google and Facebook set to preview antitrust defenses before Congress | Greg Sterling | July 28, 2020 | Search Engine Land
San Diego’s water utility is preparing to absorb a five percent spike in rates this year despite cries from elected officials to freeze costs during a global pandemic.
Environment Report: Why Your Water Bill Might Spike | MacKenzie Elmer | July 27, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
They heard the crash and the cry as the chair went out from under her feet and she fell on the floor.
5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Ep. 334 Rebroadcast) | Stephen J. Dubner | January 9, 2020 | Freakonomics

“He turned pale, trembled to a great degree, was much agitated, and began to cry,” she told the court.
New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion | Nina Strochlic | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The girls send a cry for help…the situation of these girls is distressing.
Jihadis Release New Year’s Eve Video of Italian Female Hostages | Jamie Dettmer, Barbie Latza Nadeau | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Both the Ramos sons squeezed their eyes and lowered their heads, doing their best not to cry.
Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos | Michael Daly | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It has long been a battle cry in conservative circles that Christmas is under siege.
Why I’m for the War on Christmas | Asawin Suebsaeng | December 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Kendrick rapidly chants these last lines in repetition with Bilal and Anna Wise sing-shouting behind him, like a rallying cry.
Kendrick Lamar Shuts Down ‘The Colbert Report’ with Untitled Track | Charlise Ferguson | December 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Do not the widow's tears run down the cheek, and her cry against him that causeth them to fall?
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | Various
At Felipe's cry, the women waiting in the hall hurried in, wailing aloud as their first glance showed them all was over.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
I could have sworn I heard a cry, and one of my men spoke in a tone that assured me my imagination had not been playing a trick.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
A sob rose in her throat, and broke from her lips transformed into a trembling, sharp, glad cry.
The Bondboy | George W. (George Washington) Ogden
Antirosa had decided it was better to let the children "have their cry out," and the boy had gone to school.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II | Rudyard Kipling

British Dictionary definitions for cry

cry

/ (kraɪ) /

verbcries, crying or cried

(intr) to utter inarticulate sounds, esp when weeping; sob
(intr) to shed tears; weep

(intr usually foll by out) to scream or shout in pain, terror, etc
(tr often foll by out) to utter or shout (words of appeal, exclamation, fear, etc)
(intr often foll by out) (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
(intr foll by for) to clamour or beg
Scot to call
cry for the moon to desire the unattainable
cry one's eyes out or cry one's heart out to weep bitterly
cry quits or cry mercy to give up a task, fight, etc

nounplural cries

the act or sound of crying; a shout, exclamation, scream, or wail
the characteristic utterance of an animal or bird: the cry of gulls

Scot 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
a far cry
- a long way
- something very different
in full cry (esp of a pack of hounds) in hot pursuit of a quarry

Origin of cry

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

See also cry down, cry off, cry out, cry up

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse