cry for

Idioms  

1. Also, cry out for; have a crying need for. Be in urgent need of, as in This wall cries for a second coat of paint, or This car is crying out for a good washing, or There is a crying need for order in this house. The figurative use of cry for, literally meaning “implore” or “weep for,” dates from the late 1500s, as does the use of crying for “demanding attention.” The first variant, alluding to actually shouting out one's needs or desires, dates from the second half of the 1800s.

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Example Sentences

I cry for a long time, until I feel…better.

From Literature

After I handed over the kitten, I ran back to the dorms and cried for hours.

From Literature

I try to imagine Papa crying for me.

From Literature

"I think it was a cry for help," he says now.

From BBC

Protest signs punctuated the cries for safer streets: “Hit your brakes, not people,” one said.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ask
• beseech
• recite
• urge