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

See Examples For:

cry for

Her parents decided to listen to what they saw as their daughter's cry for help.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

After so long on the road, driving past despair dotted along the road’s shoulders, Day brushes off a cry for help with a joke.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

This is re-emerging as a rallying cry for foreign leaders such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz annoyed that their countries are buying so many imports from China.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

This is not a cry for today, it's a cry that's been heard for years and nothing changes.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

I let myself cry and cry and cry, for what I’d just done to Rondell.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

Related Words

• ask
• beseech
• recite
• urge