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.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR cry ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Example sentences from the Web for cry

“He turned pale, trembled to a great degree, was much agitated, and began to cry,” she told the court.

New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion |Nina Strochlic |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The girls send a cry for help…the situation of these girls is distressing.

Jihadis Release New Year’s Eve Video of Italian Female Hostages |Jamie Dettmer, Barbie Latza Nadeau |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Both the Ramos sons squeezed their eyes and lowered their heads, doing their best not to cry.

Choking Back Tears, Thousands of Cops Honor Fallen Officer Ramos |Michael Daly |December 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
The cry that rose up into the night signaled a moral indictment no matter what the grand jury had said.

‘I Can’t Breathe!’ ‘I Can’t Breathe!’ A Moral Indictment of Cop Culture |Michael Daly |December 4, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

As cars approached a group of about 20 men and women, a cry went out: “Honk your horn!”

Ferguson Protesters Harass Black Police, Call for Darren Wilson’s Death |Justin Glawe |November 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
I had scarcely reached the summit of the headland when I heard a cry of pain.

The Passion for Life |Joseph Hocking
As Faith beheld it she uttered a cry of joy and held out both hands toward him impulsively.

For Gold or Soul? |Lurana W. Sheldon
And with a cry she flung herself into 211 the jumble of bright garments on her bed, and wept as if her heart would break.

Cloudy Jewel |Grace Livingston Hill
At the sound of her steps the man arose and came toward her; this had frightened her, and she gave the cry.

The Hated Son |Honore de Balzac
A stick broke under him with a snap, there was a sudden rustling in the bushes, and Sid uttered a cry of dismay.

A Quarter-Back's Pluck |Lester Chadwick

British Dictionary definitions for cry

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

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

Example sentences from the Web for cry

British Dictionary definitions for cry

verb cries, crying or cried

noun plural cries

Word Origin for cry

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

Words related to cry

Example sentences from the Web for cry

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

verb cries, crying or cried

noun plural cries

Word Origin for cry

British Dictionary definitions for cry