😭 To shed tears 🗣️ To shout out 🦅 A loud sound 📢 A rallying call ⚠️ To demand action 😭 A session of weeping 📣 To announce publicly

cry

30 1.0

A time when someone has tears because they feel sad or upset

noun
/kraɪ/

: llanto

Rose stands sheepishly by the dining room table, half-crying as she adjusts her dress.
a baby's cry
hear a cry
piercing cry

I had a good unexpected cry and now I need a good nap.

Examples

The shock had worn off, and he hadn't seen her cry since the first day.

Fiction book (1991)
No, you know, like some people just have like a good cry sometimes.
So, you want me to get them in a circle and all hold hands and have a good cry?

Shooting Stars (2023)
I had a good unexpected cry and now I need a good nap.

Molly Burke
With one last lilting cry, the bob-o-link flew away and the woods fell silent.

Fiction book (1990)
I uttered long and piercing cries; my mother rushed into the room.

Academic text (1995)
Shefek screeched angrily, a chilling cry that echoed off the stone walls.

Fiction book (1991)
After watching the sad movie, she needed a good cry to feel better.
He had a long cry after receiving the bad news about his friend.
The child's cry filled the room, revealing her deep sadness.

Synonyms

tears

vscry

512 1.0

Drops of water that come from your eyes when you feel sad or happy

is the discrete act or session where that process commonly occurs

crying

vscry

119 1.0

Tears and sounds you make when you feel sad or hurt

is the full act or session of emotional display rather than just features

weeping

vscry

18 1.4

A time when someone cries with tears and sobs

is the full emotional episode rather than focusing on tear production

sobbing

vscry

16 1.0

Short gasping sounds someone makes while crying loudly

is the broader emotional act without necessarily having convulsive gasps

wailing

vscry

11 3.5

Loud long cries made when someone feels deep pain or sadness

is the broader emotional act that is not always long or loud

lamentation

vscry

Literature

6 7.7

A strong feeling of sadness that people show by crying

is the private or simple session of strong feeling rather than formal mourning

tearing

vscry

5 1.4

The flow of tears from the eyes because of feeling or eye irritation

is the whole session of emotional display not only the physical part

bawling

vscry

2 3.5

Loud, noisy crying when someone is very upset

is a general emotional episode that may be quieter or controlled

Antonyms

to laugh

∞ 1.0

To make sounds and move your face or body because something is funny

to smile

∞ 1.0

To turn the corners of your mouth up to show happiness or friendliness

Idioms

far cry

Informal

34 6.3

A thing or situation that is very different from another

far cry from

Informal

34 4.9

Very different from what you expect, often in a disappointing way

to cry wolf

19 5.8

To say there is danger when there is none so people stop believing you

shoulder to cry on

Informal

17 3.2

A person who gives comfort and listens when you feel sad

to cry a river

Informal

10 8.7

Complain a lot in a dramatic way about something that upsets you

about to cry

9 3.0

Close to crying because you feel sad

cry me a river

Informal

6 9.6

Tell someone you do not feel sorry for their complaints

to cry over spilt milk

2 4.3

To waste time being upset about something that already happened and cannot be changed

to cry uncle

Informal

2 8.8

To admit you give up when someone pressures you

to cry the blues

Informal

2 7.5

To feel sad and complain to others

don't cry for me, Argentina

1 9.9

A dramatic way to tell people not to be sad when you leave, from the musical Evita

to cry all the way to the bank

Informal

1 8.6

To make a lot of money while pretending to complain

to make baby Jesus cry

Informal

1 9.9

Cause great sadness or disappointment, often as a joke

to cry in one's beer

Informal

1 9.6

To feel sorry for yourself and complain to get sympathy

to cry like a pissbaby

Offensive

9.9

To cry in a very childish way when upset

to cry one's eyes out

Informal

4.2

Cry for a long time because you feel very sad

cry than wool

9.9

A situation that makes a lot of noise but has little real effect

Compounds

rallying cry

17 5.6

A short word or phrase that encourages people to unite and act for a cause

battle cry

14 3.9

A loud shout or short phrase that encourages people to act together

war cry

5 4.3

A loud shout to encourage or rally people before a battle

hue and cry

Informal

4 7.7

A loud public complaint by many people asking for action

kiss and cry

Jargon

1 9.4

An area at competitions like figure skating where athletes and coaches wait for scores and show emotion

party cry

1 7.0

A short chant people shout together at a celebration to show support

cry cupboard

Literature

9.9

A private place where you go to be alone and let out your feelings

cry-baby tree

9.9

A small spiny tree from South America with deep red flowers

far cry

6.3

A long distance from a town or city

How Intense

wail

19 3.2

cry

30 1.0

Surface Forms

cry singular

cries plural

Etymology

Cry originally meant 'call out' or shout, and over time people also used it for the loud sound of weeping. So a cry as an act of weeping is the strong, noisy way someone shows deep sadness or emotion.