cry off

British  

verb

1. informal (intr) to withdraw from or cancel (an agreement or arrangement)

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cry off Idioms  

1. Break or withdraw from a promise or agreement, as in We thought we'd bought the car, but the owner cried off at the last minute. [Late 1700s]

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Example Sentences

His sound inched closer to country instrumentation, like on 2022’s “Why Can’t Cowboys Cry?” off “Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die” on the indie Empire, though nothing hit the Hot 100 or country charts.

From Los Angeles Times

"But he's had to cry off now. I've had to get another coach in. I knew what he's like, he'd be saying 'I can't let Gav down' so I rang him straight away to say, 'you're going to Lord's!'"

From BBC

When they achieve the right balance of historic preservation and modern amenities, Ms. Crestin said, Mr. Knight has been known to cry off camera.

From New York Times

“Every time I would call my mom, FaceTime her and had to let her go, you could kind of tell she was upset. I definitely knew she’d cry off the phone.”

From Washington Times

But the confluence of the U.S. team taking off, becoming a juggernaut on the field and a rallying cry off it — as well as the recognition that the women’s competition is every bit as compelling as the men’s game — has helped Fox to give the tournament more visibility.

From Washington Post