weep

¹ American  

[weep] / wip /

verb (used without object)

• weeps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wept,
  past participle,  past
• weeping
  present participle

1. to express grief, sorrow, or any overpowering emotion by shedding tears; shed tears; cry.

   to weep for joy;

   to weep with rage.

   Synonyms:

   lament, wail, sob

   Antonyms:

   rejoice, laugh

2. to let fall drops of water or other liquid; drip; leak.

   The old water tank was weeping at the seams.

3. to exude water or liquid, as soil, a rock, a plant stem, or a sore.

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verb (used with object)

• weeps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wept,
  past participle,  past
• weeping
  present participle

1. to weep for (someone or something); mourn with tears or other expression of sorrow.

   He wept his dead brother.

   Synonyms:

   lament, bemoan, bewail

2. to shed (tears); pour forth in weeping.

   to weep tears of gratitude.

3. to let fall or give forth in drops.

   trees weeping an odorous gum.

4. to pass, bring, put, etc., to or into a specified condition with the shedding of tears (usually followed by away, out, etc.).

   to weep one's eyes out;

   to weep oneself to sleep.

noun

1. weeping, or a fit of weeping.

2. the exudation of water or liquid.

weep ² American  

[weep] / wip /

noun

British Dialect.

1. the lapwing, Vanellus vanellus, of Europe.

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weep British  

/ wiːp /

verb

1. to shed (tears) as an expression of grief or unhappiness

2. to utter, shedding tears

3. to mourn or lament (for something)

4. to exude (drops of liquid)

5. (intr) (of a wound, etc) to exude a watery or serous fluid

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noun

1. a spell of weeping

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• weeping
  present
• wept
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• weep
  simple
• weeps
  simple
• have wept
  perfect
• has wept
  perfect
• am weeping
  progressive
• are weeping
  progressive
• is weeping
  progressive
• have been weeping
  perfect progressive
• has been weeping
  perfect progressive

Past

• wept
  simple
• had wept
  perfect
• was weeping
  progressive
• were weeping
  progressive
• had been weeping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will weep
  simple
• will have wept
  perfect
• will be weeping
  progressive
• will have been weeping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of weep¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English wepen, Old English wēpan “to wail”; cognate with Gothic wōpjan “to call,” Old Norse æpa “to cry out”

Origin of weep²

Imitative

Explanation

When you weep, you cry. If you're very empathetic, you might start to weep whenever you see other people weep. To shed tears from sadness is to weep. Some people weep rarely, only when they've suffered a true loss or tragedy. Other sensitive souls weep at songs, movies, books, and even sweet stories or pictures. Weep comes from the Old English word wepan, "shed tears or mourn over," which has a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to cry or scream."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

weep weeps wept weeping

But the sob in Tyler’s vocal made her recording — a No. 3 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 — the one to weep along with.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Read, and weep for the future of America.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025

Simons charged investors 5% management plus 44% of profits — and billionaires who negotiate prenups that would make Machiavelli weep begged to get in.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 15, 2025

Geoffrey Boycott has not played for 40 years and is still one of the most famous cricketers in the country, David Gower's cover drive made grown men weep.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2025

Helen regarded me, probably with surprise: I could not now abate my agitation, though I tried hard; I continued to weep aloud.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Daniela Lopez, 40, weeps as she speaks with the psychologist.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Romvari weeps as she spreads them out on a table, saying “hi” softly to her brothers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

No college basketball fan weeps for the Blue Devils’ bad luck, but Duke knows better than most that a great regular season doesn’t guarantee a championship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

When I ask about the reunion with his family, Sergei lifts a hand to his face and weeps.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2025

They say she weeps Knee-deep in the river, The gray of dusk A shawl over her head.

From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto

This time, Messi was so happy, he wept.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026

Some of Amen's relatives wept outside court as a statement was read out on their behalf.

From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026

In the footage broadcast by state media, women wept over the graves; some carried photos of the deceased.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Easy: Yesterday, I was not only gripping the armrest but gripping the hand of the flight attendant who was sitting down in the aisle, soothing me as I hyperventilated and wept.

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

She wept afresh, with joy this time, and embraced her husband once more.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

"I doubt I could have done that if I'd been employed," she says, "and I think I'd have been weeping in the toilets at the office."

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

The Buddha, seeing him bruised, bloody, and weeping, smiles and tells him he must bear it.

From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026

Did you catch the interview with the German fan weeping over the kindness of strangers in Boston?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

"No words of compassion can ease this pain of loss, this burden of great suffering, when one must bury young people," the priest told black-clothed mourners, weeping or clutching flowers and holding each other.

From Barron's ● May 19, 2026

So unless you have been very, very lucky, you know that a good, long session of weeping can often make you feel better, even if your circumstances have not changed one bit.

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket

Related Words

• break down
• complain
• grieve
• howl
• moan
• mourn
• sob
• wail
• whimper