cry

[ krahy ]

/ kraɪ /

verb (used without object), cried, cry·ing.

to utter inarticulate sounds, especially of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears.

to weep; shed tears, with or without sound.

to call loudly; shout; yell (sometimes followed by out).

to demand resolution or strongly indicate a particular disposition: The rise in crime cried out for greater police protection.

to give forth vocal sounds or characteristic calls, as animals; yelp; bark.

(of a hound or pack) to bay continuously and excitedly in following a scent.

(of tin) to make a noise, when bent, like the crumpling of paper.

verb (used with object), cried, cry·ing.

to utter or pronounce loudly; call out.

to announce publicly as for sale; advertise: to cry one's wares.

to beg or plead for; implore: to cry mercy.

to bring (oneself) to a specified state by weeping: The infant cried itself to sleep.

noun, plural cries.

the act or sound of crying; any loud utterance or exclamation; a shout, scream, or wail.

clamor; outcry.

a fit of weeping: to have a good cry.

the utterance or call of an animal.

a political or party slogan.

battle cry.

an oral proclamation or announcement.

a call of wares for sale, services available, etc., as by a street vendor.

public report.

an opinion generally expressed.

an entreaty; appeal.

Fox Hunting.

a pack of hounds.
a continuous baying of a hound or a pack in following a scent.

Verb Phrases

cry down, to disparage; belittle: Those people cry down everyone who differs from them.

cry off, to break a promise, agreement, etc.: We made arrangements to purchase a house, but the owner cried off at the last minute.

cry up, to praise; extol: to cry up one's profession.

Idioms for cry

a far cry,

quite some distance; a long way.
only remotely related; very different: This treatment is a far cry from that which we received before.

cry havoc. havoc(def 4).

cry one's eyes/heart out, to cry excessively or inconsolably: The little girl cried her eyes out when her cat died.

cry over spilled/spilt milk. milk(def 10).

in full cry, in hot pursuit: The pack followed in full cry.

Origin of cry

1175–1225; (v.) Middle English crien < Anglo-French, Old French crier < Vulgar Latin *crītāre for Latin quirītāre to cry out in protest, make a public cry; associated by folk etymology with Quirītēs Quirites; (noun) < Anglo-French, Old French cri, noun derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR cry

1 wail, keen, moan.

2 sob, bawl, whimper.

3 yowl, bawl, clamor, vociferate, exclaim, ejaculate, scream.

synonym study for cry

3. Cry, shout, bellow, roar refer to kinds of loud articulate or inarticulate sounds. Cry is the general word: to cry out. To shout is to raise the voice loudly in uttering words or other articulate sounds: He shouted to his companions. Bellow refers to the loud, deep cry of a bull, moose, etc., or, somewhat in deprecation, to human utterance that suggests such a sound: The speaker bellowed his answer. Roar refers to a deep, hoarse, rumbling or vibrant cry, often of tumultuous volume: The crowd roared approval.

OTHER WORDS FROM cry

coun·ter·cry, noun, plural coun·ter·cries.

Words nearby cry

cruzan, cruzeiro, cruzeiro real, cruzie, crwth, cry, cry down, cry for, cry havoc, cry off, cry on someone's shoulder

British Dictionary definitions for cry off (1 of 2)

cry off

verb

(intr) informal to withdraw from or cancel (an agreement or arrangement)

British Dictionary definitions for cry off (2 of 2)

cry

/ (kraɪ) /

verb cries, crying or cried

(intr) to utter inarticulate sounds, esp when weeping; sob

(intr) to shed tears; weep

(intr usually foll by out) to scream or shout in pain, terror, etc

(tr often foll by out) to utter or shout (words of appeal, exclamation, fear, etc)

(intr often foll by out) (of animals, birds, etc) to utter loud characteristic sounds

(tr) to hawk or sell by public announcement to cry newspapers

to announce (something) publicly or in the streets

(intr foll by for) to clamour or beg

Scot to call

cry for the moon to desire the unattainable

cry one's eyes out or cry one's heart out to weep bitterly

cry quits or cry mercy to give up a task, fight, etc

noun plural cries

the act or sound of crying; a shout, exclamation, scream, or wail

the characteristic utterance of an animal or bird the cry of gulls

Scot a call

archaic an oral announcement, esp one made by town criers

a fit of weeping

hunting the baying of a pack of hounds hunting their quarry by scent

a pack of hounds

a far cry

a long way
something very different

in full cry (esp of a pack of hounds) in hot pursuit of a quarry

See also cry down, cry off, cry out, cry up

Word Origin for cry

C13: from Old French crier, from Latin quirītāre to call for help

Idioms and Phrases with cry off

cry off

Break or withdraw from a promise or agreement, as in We thought we'd bought the car, but the owner cried off at the last minute. [Late 1700s]

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cry

verb (used without object), cried, cry·ing.

verb (used with object), cried, cry·ing.

noun, plural cries.

Verb Phrases

Idioms for cry

Origin of cry

SYNONYMS FOR cry

synonym study for cry

OTHER WORDS FROM cry

Words nearby cry

British Dictionary definitions for cry off (1 of 2)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for cry off (2 of 2)

verb cries, crying or cried

noun plural cries

Word Origin for cry

Idioms and Phrases with cry off

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

cry

verb (used without object), cried, cry·ing.

verb (used with object), cried, cry·ing.

noun, plural cries.

Verb Phrases

Idioms for cry

Origin of cry

SYNONYMS FOR cry

synonym study for cry

OTHER WORDS FROM cry

Words nearby cry

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for cry off (1 of 2)

verb

British Dictionary definitions for cry off (2 of 2)

verb cries, crying or cried

noun plural cries

Word Origin for cry

Idioms and Phrases with cry off

British Dictionary definitions for cry off (1 of 2)