cry - Dictionary definition and pronunciation

cry

(kr

) KEY

VERB:
cried (kr

d) KEY , cry·ing , cries (kr

z) KEY
VERB:
intr.

To sob or shed tears because of grief, sorrow, or pain; weep.
To call loudly; shout.
To utter a characteristic sound or call. Used of an animal.
To demand or require immediate action or remedy: grievances crying out for redress.

VERB:
tr.

To utter loudly; call out.
To proclaim or announce in public: crying one's wares in the marketplace.
To bring into a particular condition by weeping: cry oneself to sleep.
Archaic To beg for; implore: cry forgiveness.

NOUN:
pl. cries (kr

z) KEY

A loud utterance of an emotion, such as fear, anger, or despair.
A loud exclamation; a shout or call.
A fit of weeping: had a good long cry.
An urgent entreaty or appeal.
A public or general demand or complaint.
A common view or general report.
An advertising of wares by calling out: venders' cries at the fish market.
A rallying call or signal: a cry to arms.
A slogan, especially a political one.
The characteristic call or utterance of an animal.
1. The baying of hounds during the chase.
2. A pack of hounds.
Obsolete Clamor; outcry.
Obsolete A public announcement; a proclamation.

PHRASAL VERBS:
cry down

To belittle or disparage.

cry off

To break or withdraw from a promise, agreement, or undertaking.

cry up

To praise highly; extol.

IDIOMS:
cry havoc

To sound an alarm; warn.

cry (one's) eyes /heart out

To weep inconsolably for a long time.

cry on (someone's) shoulder

To tell one's problems to someone else in an attempt to gain sympathy or consolation.

cry over spilled milk

To regret in vain what cannot be undone or rectified.

cry wolf

To raise a false alarm.

for crying out loud

Used to express annoyance or astonishment: Let's get going, for crying out loud!

in full cry

In hot pursuit, as hounds hunting.

ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English crien, from Old French crier, from Vulgar Latin *critre, from Latin quirtre, to cry out, perhaps from Quirts, public officers to whom one would cry out in times of need

SYNONYMS:
cry , weep , wail , keen ² , whimper , sob , blubber ¹

These verbs mean to make inarticulate sounds of grief, unhappiness, or pain. Cry and weep both involve the shedding of tears; cry more strongly implies accompanying sound: "She cried without trying to suppress any of the noisier manifestations of grief and confusion" (J. D. Salinger). "I weep for what I'm like when I'm alone" (Theodore Roethke). Wail refers primarily to sustained, inarticulate mournful sound: "The women . . . began to wail together; they mourned with shrill cries" (Joseph Conrad). Keen suggests wailing and lamentation for the dead: "It is the wild Irish women keening over their dead" (George A. Lawrence). Whimper refers to low, plaintive, broken or repressed cries: The condemned prisoner cowered and began to whimper for clemency. Sob describes weeping or a mixture of broken speech and weeping marked by convulsive breathing or gasping: "sobbing and crying, and wringing her hands as if her heart would break" (Laurence Sterne). Blubber refers to noisy shedding of tears accompanied by broken or inarticulate speech: "When he drew out what had been a fiddle, crushed to morsels in the greatcoat, he blubbered aloud" (Emily Brontë).

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