weeper

American  

[wee-per] / ˈwi pər /

noun

1. a person who weeps.

2. (formerly) a hired mourner at a funeral.

3. something worn as a badge of mourning, as a widow's black veil.

4. a wine bottle that has lost some of its contents through the cork.

5. any of various loose-hanging, streamerlike objects, as a long, hanging hatband or a strand of moss hanging from a tree.

6. Informal. a sad story, motion picture, song, or the like, that is apt to make one cry.

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weeper British  

/ ˈwiːpə /

noun

1. a person who weeps, esp a hired mourner

2. something worn as a sign of mourning

3. a hole through a wall, to allow water to drain away

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Etymology

Origin of weeper

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at weep ¹, -er ¹

Example Sentences

The wide tonal variation continues with “Don’t Let Go,” a gorgeous midtempo weeper with pedal-steel guitar, tinkly piano and mournful fiddle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

I know I wasn't supposed to, but the second time I watched the emotionally disemboweling prestige weeper "Dear Edward," the Apple TV+ adaptation of Ann Napolitano's best-selling 2020 novel, I thought of Prince Harry.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2023

Bentley promises a diverse album, “from the arena shaker to the barroom weeper to the bluegrass fireballer.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2023

She is this novel’s copious weeper, “the heartbreak queen of Kalingalinga.”

From New York Times • Mar. 25, 2019

Let no one ask me to unfold the Scriptures; for my harp is turned to mourning, and my voice to the cry of the weeper.

From The Formation of Christendom, Volume VI The Holy See and the Wandering of the Nations, from St. Leo I to St. Gregory I by Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)

Related Words

• pallbearer