cry

intransitive-verb
UK: /kraɪ/
US: /kraɪ/

  1. To produce tears from your eyes often while making sounds because you are sad, angry, or hurt.

    1. The baby started to cry, needing attention. [ ] [ ]
    2. She cried when she heard the sad news, unable to contain her sorrow. [ ] [ ]

  2. To shout something loudly.

    1. I heard him cry out in the night. [ ] [ ]
    2. The vendor cried his wares, hoping to attract customers to his stall. [ ] [ ]

  3. To make a loud, harsh sound like a scream.

    1. The seagulls cry above the harbor. [ ] [ ]
    2. The old door cried open, startling everyone in the silent room. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

weep wail scream yell sob shout
cry transitive-verb

  1. To express grief, pain, or distress by shedding tears.

    1. Don't cry; everything will be okay. [ ] [ ]
    2. She cried herself to sleep after the difficult day at work. [ ] [ ]

  2. To utter loudly; to shout or proclaim.

    1. Cry your thanks to the people now. [ ] [ ]
    2. The newspaper cried the latest news from every street corner. [ ] [ ]
cry noun

  1. A loud utterance; a scream or shout.

    1. I heard a cry from the room. [ ] [ ]
    2. Her cry for help echoed through the empty building late at night. [ ] [ ]

  2. An act of weeping or shedding tears.

    1. She had a good cry after the film. [ ] [ ]
    2. After a long cry, she felt refreshed and ready to move forward again. [ ] [ ]

  3. A particular or characteristic call or sound made by an animal.

    1. We heard the cry of the wolf far away. [ ] [ ]
    2. The mournful cry of the owl could be heard throughout the forest. [ ] [ ]
cry phrasal-verb

  1. cry for something - to express a strong need or desire for something.

    1. It's a cry for help to you. [ ] [ ]
    2. The new policy is a cry for change within the organization itself. [ ] [ ]
cry idiom

  1. a cry from/to/of the heart - a sincere expression of feelings.

    1. The song was a cry from the heart. [ ] [ ]
    2. The letter was a desperate cry of the heart from a lonely soul. [ ] [ ]

  2. cry over spilt milk - to express regret about something that has happened and cannot be changed.

    1. Don't cry over spilt milk now. [ ] [ ]
    2. There is no use crying over spilt milk; we need to focus on fixing the problem. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "cry" in English means: To produce tears from your eyes often while making sounds because you are sad, angry, or hurt., To shout something loudly., To make a loud, harsh sound like a scream..

The phonetic transcription of "cry" is /kraɪ/ in British English and /kraɪ/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "cry": weep, wail, scream, yell, sob, shout.

Example usage of "cry": "The baby started to cry, needing attention.". More examples on the page.