cry out
Britishverb
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to scream or shout aloud, esp in pain, terror, etc
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informal (often foll by for) to demand in an obvious manner
our inner cities are crying out for redevelopment
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informal an exclamation of anger or dismay
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A people can’t cry out for deliverance while refusing correction or ask God for justice while excusing wrongdoing in its own ranks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
"I have come here to mourn an icon of Africa," one mourner, Dixon Ochieng, told the BBC, while others could be heard to cry out "we are orphans" in their grief.
From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025
The scenes between Sally and Blankson-Wood’s Clifford cry out for an acting coach — not a thought I can remember having at a premium Broadway revival of a classic musical in recent seasons.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2024
In one clip, as a soldier talks to a woman, presumably his wife, their children cry out, “We love and miss you.”
From New York Times • Apr. 3, 2024
It is evening, and if the train did not rattle I should cry out.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.