cry

American  

[krahy] / kraɪ /

verb (used without object)

• cries,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cried,
  past participle,  past
• crying
  present participle

1. to utter inarticulate sounds, especially of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears.

   Synonyms:

   moan, keen, wail

2. to weep; shed tears, with or without sound.

   Synonyms:

   whimper, bawl, sob

3. to call loudly; shout; yell (sometimes followed byout ).

   Synonyms:

   scream, ejaculate, exclaim, vociferate, clamor, bawl, yowl

4. to demand resolution or strongly indicate a particular disposition.

   The rise in crime cried out for greater police protection.

5. to give forth vocal sounds or characteristic calls, as animals; yelp; bark.

6. (of a hound or pack) to bay continuously and excitedly in following a scent.

7. (of tin) to make a noise, when bent, like the crumpling of paper.

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verb (used with object)

• cries,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cried,
  past participle,  past
• crying
  present participle

1. to utter or pronounce loudly; call out.

2. to announce publicly as for sale; advertise.

   to cry one's wares.

3. to beg or plead for; implore.

   to cry mercy.

4. to bring (oneself ) to a specified state by weeping.

   The infant cried itself to sleep.

noun

• cries
  plural

1. the act or sound of crying; any loud utterance or exclamation; a shout, scream, or wail.

2. clamor; outcry.

3. a fit of weeping.

   to have a good cry.

4. the utterance or call of an animal.

5. a political or party slogan.

6. battle cry.

7. an oral proclamation or announcement.

8. a call of wares for sale, services available, etc., as by a street vendor.

9. public report.

10. an opinion generally expressed.

11. an entreaty; appeal.

12. Fox Hunting.

    1. a pack of hounds.

    2. a continuous baying of a hound or a pack in following a scent.

verb phrase

1. cry off to break a promise, agreement, etc..

   We made arrangements to purchase a house, but the owner cried off at the last minute.

2. cry up to praise; extol.

   to cry up one's profession.

3. cry down to disparage; belittle.

   Those people cry down everyone who differs from them.

idioms

1. cry one's eyes / heart out, to cry excessively or inconsolably.

   The little girl cried her eyes out when her cat died.

2. cry havoc. havoc.

3. in full cry, in hot pursuit.

   The pack followed in full cry.

4. cry over spilled / spilt milk. milk.

5. a far cry,

   1. quite some distance; a long way.

   2. only remotely related; very different.

      This treatment is a far cry from that which we received before.

cry British  

/ kraɪ /

verb

1. (intr) to utter inarticulate sounds, esp when weeping; sob

2. (intr) to shed tears; weep

3. to scream or shout in pain, terror, etc

4. to utter or shout (words of appeal, exclamation, fear, etc)

5. (of animals, birds, etc) to utter loud characteristic sounds

6. (tr) to hawk or sell by public announcement

   to cry newspapers

7. to announce (something) publicly or in the streets

8. to clamour or beg

9. to call

10. to desire the unattainable

11. to weep bitterly

12. to give up a task, fight, etc

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noun

1. the act or sound of crying; a shout, exclamation, scream, or wail

2. the characteristic utterance of an animal or bird

   the cry of gulls

3. a call

4. archaic an oral announcement, esp one made by town criers

5. a fit of weeping

6. hunting the baying of a pack of hounds hunting their quarry by scent

7. a pack of hounds

8. 1. a long way

   2. something very different

9. (esp of a pack of hounds) in hot pursuit of a quarry

Usage

What is a basic definition fo cry? Cry means to make sad noises along with tears, to yell loudly, or to make an animal’s noise. Cry has several other senses as a verb and a noun. A person will cry when they are overcome with intense emotion, such as sadness, despair, or joy. Intense pain can also make a person start to cry. Crying can involve tears coming from the eyes or whimpering, sniffling, or other miserable noises or both. Children and babies usually cry more often than adults, but crying is a natural way of expressing an intense feeling.

• Real-life examples: Babies frequently cry to tell their parents there is a problem. Young children cry when they want something or something has upset them. People often cry at funerals. Parents might cry due to happiness at the birth of a new baby.
• Used in a sentence: He cried from joy when he saw that his daughter was safe.

This sense is also used as a noun to mean an act of crying.

• Used in a sentence: I had a long cry yesterday. 

Cry can also mean to shout or yell really loudly. This sense of cry is sometimes followed by the word out.

• Used in a sentence: I cried out to my sister to warn her of the oncoming car.

When animals cry, they are making a distinct noise. This sense of cry is used similarly to words like yelp, bark, screech, and howl.

• Used in a sentence: I heard wolves cry in the woods. 

In this sense, cry is also used as a noun to mean a particular noise that an animal makes.

• Used in a sentence: My dog gave a long, loud cry.

Synonym Usage

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 Word Forms

Derived Forms

• countercry
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cries
  plural

Participles

• crying
  present
• cried
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cry
  simple
• cries
  simple
• have cried
  perfect
• has cried
  perfect
• am crying
  progressive
• are crying
  progressive
• is crying
  progressive
• have been crying
  perfect progressive
• has been crying
  perfect progressive

Past

• cried
  simple
• had cried
  perfect
• was crying
  progressive
• were crying
  progressive
• had been crying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cry
  simple
• will have cried
  perfect
• will be crying
  progressive
• will have been crying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cry cries cried crying

"I go to another room and... I hide to cry."

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

“Unlike Carol, I cry often when I’m extremely angry and in the middle of trying to tell someone how upset I am,” Seehorn says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

That wrist is how Alcaraz sculpts that spectacular drop shot that makes opponents quiver at the knees and would make Harry Hopman cry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Granted, neither Gallego nor Murphy have alienated their constituencies with these ideas, but it’s a far cry from their personas when they were first elected.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

No way was I going to cry in front of him.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

When the on-duty officers heard the desperate cries for help, why didn’t they jump up and sprint to Alcaraz’s aid?

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Early plays Maddie’s lowest moments with raw sincerity and expressions of utter helplessness — visible cries for help, acted out with total concern and love for the feminine.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

This is where the chorus cries out that if we don’t do it, someone else will.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

This came home during Covid when many people reached out to elected officials but their cries for help went unanswered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

She ran back to the plateau, ignoring his cries for her to stop.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Another neighbor called me the day he died, and we cried together, sharing our favorite memories of him.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

I could have cried during my last shift.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

One gripped the badge of his red Spanish football shirt and cried: "Viva Espana!"

From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026

She cried afterward, as her family draped her in leis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Every time one of us said Maggie’s name, he cried.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Laura says she forced Levy off and became "hysterical" and started "crying".

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

It was a feast day and everyone was celebrating, but M's daughter stayed in her room crying.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

"You're seeing the family members distraught, crying, it's hard to watch. Unfortunately it's the reality of being close to the ocean."

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

“When I walked on the field I started crying because of how much this moment meant, and how much it meant to everybody,” Foxx said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

The words were swallowed by the suffocating spray of a skunk, which sent more than a few animals cowering and crying in every direction.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Related Words

• bellow
• call
• cheer
• clamor
• exclamation
• holler
• howl
• outcry
• roar
• scream
• shout
• shriek
• uproar
• yawp
• yell
• yelp