weep

¹ American  

[weep] / wip /

verb (used without object)

wept, weeping

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)

wept, weeping

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

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

Read, and weep for the future of America.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 30, 2025

Ellis explains that the episode made the cast weep during the table read.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 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

Women who weep are seen as "too emotional" while men who mope can be shamed for being soft and vulnerable, she says.

From BBC • Jul. 4, 2025

“Don’t move until I say. And if I die, you will not weep, you hear me? This is what I was born to.”

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

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