cry Hear it!

cry Definition

cry (krī)

intransitive verb cried, cry′·ing

  1. to make a loud vocal sound or utterance; call out, as for help; shout
  2. to sob and shed tears, in expressing sorrow, pain, grief, etc.; weep
    1. to plead or clamor (for)
    2. to show or suggest a great need (for) problems crying for solution
  4. to utter its characteristic call: said of an animal

Etymology: ME crien < OFr crier < L quiritare, to wail, shriek (var. of quirritare, to squeal like a pig < *quis, echoic of a squeal); assoc. in ancient folk etym. with L Quirites, Roman citizens (as if meaning “to call the Quirites,” implore their help)

transitive verb

  1. to plead or beg for to cry quarter
  2. to utter loudly; shout; exclaim
  3. to call out (wares for sale, services offered, etc.); announce publicly
  4. to bring into a specified condition by crying to cry oneself asleep

noun pl. cries

  1. a loud vocal sound expressing pain, anger, fright, joy, etc.
  2. any loud utterance; shout
  3. an announcement or advertisement called out publicly
  4. an urgent appeal; plea
  5. popular report; rumor; rallying call or battle cry; watchword
  6. the current opinion or fashion
  7. clamor of the people; public outcry
  8. a slogan
  9. a sobbing and shedding of tears; fit of weeping
  10. the characteristic vocal sound of an animal
    1. the baying of hounds in the chase
    2. a pack of hounds

Etymology: ME & OFr cri < the v.

cry Idioms

a far cry

  1. a great distance; long way
  2. a thing much different

cry down

to belittle; disparage

cry in one's beer

Informal to lament or complain in a maudlin manner

cry off

to withdraw from an agreement or undertaking

cry one's eyes out

to weep much and bitterly

cry out

  1. to shout; yell
  2. to complain loudly

cry up

to shout praise of; praise highly

in full cry

in eager pursuit: said of a pack of hounds

cry Synonyms

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)

unlike, dissimilar, remote; see different 1.

cry Synonyms

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

cry Usage Examples

Object

  • wolf: Mr Blair has cried wolf a number of times in the past few years.
  • shame: What is also lacking is a multiplayer or even a two-player option, which is a crying shame.
  • tear: She burst out laughing, crying tears of laughter.

Converse of object

  • rally: Save the Whale was a rallying cry for the 80s, symbolizing a realization of the damage humans were inflicting on the planet.
  • utter: Even Tinker had uttered a small cry of astonishment.

Adjective modifier

  • shrill: Such critics usually have little to offer as a clarion call beyond the shrill cry for evermore unbridled liberty.
  • plaintive: Volume and diction are very important - my plaintive cry of ' I can't hear you!
  • far: A far cry from the romantic solo ballads to follow.
  • loud: St John records neither the Eloi, nor the Father into thy hands, nor the loud cry.

Adjective complement

foul: When on the run from torrid tabloid revelations, the celebrity colony usually sends out flak to distract and then predictably cries foul.

Noun used with modifier

tsx: Symbol tsx cry or performances are is taking that.

Followed by a transitive particle

Preposition: in

wilderness: In 1945, Fr Gabriel's group, calling for a return to the Mother-Church, were not voices crying in the wilderness.

Preposition: of

  • anguish: God help us, the whole place seems to be screaming, a massive primeval cry of anguish.
  • agony: About noon we were startled by sharp cries of agony, and looking round, I saw Owen writhing in the most horrible convulsions.
  • harvester: The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.
  • despair: The general strike itself was a cry of despair from the whole of the country.

Preposition: with

laughter: The last time I saw him he actually made me cry with laughter.

Preposition: for

mercy: That night it came Fifteen came to the altar, crying aloud for mercy.