cry

cry

n.

1. A loud utterance

   exclamation, shout, clamor, outcry, call, vociferation, scream, shriek, yell, whoop, yawp, squall, yammer, groan, moan, bellow, howl, wail, bawl, holler, uproar, acclamation, roar, battle cry, war cry, halloo, hurrah, hullabaloo, cheer, huzza; see also sense 2, noise 1, 2, yell 1.

   Antonyms whisper*, murmur*, silence. *

2. A characteristic call

   howl, hoot, wail, grunt, screech, mewling, bark, squawk, squeak, squeal, yelp, meow, whinny, neigh, bray, nicker, moo, bleat, chatter, bay, cluck, crow, whine, pipe, trill, twitter, tweet, quack, clack, cackle, caw, bellow, coo, whistle, gobble, hiss, growl, roar, shriek; see also yell 1.

3. A fit of weeping

   lamentation, lament, sobbing, weeping, bewailing, wailing, bawl, shedding tears, sorrowing, mourning, whimpering, ululation, plaint, the blues*; see also tears.

a far cry (from)

cry

v.

1. To shed tears

   weep, sob, wail, whimper, snivel, blubber, moan, howl, keen, bawl, squall, lament, bewail, bemoan, whine, weep over, complain, deplore, sorrow, grieve, fret, groan, caterwaul, burst into tears, dissolve in tears, ululate, mewl, pule, sniffle, break down, choke up*, cry one's eyes out*, boohoo*, yammer*, take on*, give way to tears*, turn on the waterworks*; see also mourn 1, regret.

   Antonyms rejoice, laugh*, exult. *

2. To raise the voice

   shout, scream, bellow; see yell.

3. To call; said of other than human creatures

   howl, bark, hoot, scream, screech, squawk, squeak, yelp, yap, grunt, roar, shriek, meow, whinny, neigh, bray, nicker, moo, bleat, snarl, chatter, bay, cluck, crow, whine, squeal, yowl, pipe, trill, coo, whistle, caw, bellow, quack, clack, gabble, hiss, growl, croak, cackle, twitter, tweet; see also sound 1, yell.

cry, in this comparison, implies the expression of grief, sorrow, pain, or distress by making mournful, convulsive sounds and shedding tears; weep more specifically stresses the shedding of tears; to sob is to weep aloud with a catch in the voice and short, gasping breaths; wail implies the uttering of loud, prolonged, mournful cries in unsuppressed lamentation; keen, specifically an Irish term, signifies a wailing in lamentation for the dead; to whimper is to cry with subdued, whining, broken sounds, as a fretful or frightened child does; moan suggests the expression of sorrow or pain in a low, prolonged, mournful sound or sounds; blubber, a derisive term used chiefly of children, implies a contorting or swelling of the face with weeping, and broken, inarticulate speech