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

to cry

∞ 1.0

To let tears fall because you feel sad or hurt

verb
/kraɪ/

: llorar

Has anyone ever told you that you cry out in your sleep?
make me cry
start crying
begin to cry

That's the first time I ever cried when someone died.

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Examples

"Sometimes we just have to let the baby cry himself out," he told her.

Fiction book (1990)
I myself have thought, written, and cried about the tragedies of our people's recent past.

Academic text (1999)
And I could either stop and cry or I could laugh, right?

Evan Carmichael
Just feel like I'm going to cry now.
No one will care, and when you cry in the darkness, no one will hear you.

Fiction book (1990)
When was the last time you cried of happiness?

The Diary Of A CEO
Oh my goodness, I might cry tears of joy.
"Don't worry," she says, "it's good to cry like this, to let your feelings out."

Fiction book (1990)
Some students spent their first nights of boarding tossing and turning, crying, or missing their family.

Academic text (2011)
The movie was so sad that I couldn't help but cry at the ending.

Synonyms

to weep

vsto cry

239 1.1

To cry and let tears fall because you feel sad or have strong feelings

is the broader everyday term for shedding tears

to sob

vsto cry

141 1.0

To cry with short, noisy breaths

involves shedding tears without noisy gasping breaths

to whimper

vsto cry

88 3.3

To make a low, soft cry because of pain or fear

is stronger and usually includes visible tears rather than small sounds

to wail

vsto cry

72 3.2

To make a long loud cry because you are hurt or very sad

covers shedding tears but not necessarily prolonged mournful sounds

to bawl

vsto cry

35 5.9

Cry or shout loudly and without control

focuses on shedding tears rather than loud shouting

to burst into tears

vsto cry

25 2.4

To suddenly cry because of a strong feeling

is wider, covering steady or delayed tearful responses

to shed a tear

vsto cry

18 3.5

Cry a little, often with one tear

is used for any tearing, not only small restrained instances

to cry one's eyes out

vsto cry

Informal

4.2

Cry for a long time because you feel very sad

means general shedding of tears, not always extreme or long

to bawl one's eyes out

vsto cry

Informal

7.6

Cry very loudly and for a long time

is less extreme and can be controlled or quieter

Antonyms

to laugh

∞ 1.0

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

to rejoice

98 3.6

Feel or show that you are very happy

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

Phrasal Verbs

to cry out

145 1.8

Shout loudly to show a strong feeling, for example when surprised or hurt

to cry for

108 4.1

To need something urgently

to cry out for

39 4.1

To urgently need something

to cry foul

12 5.6

Complain loudly in public that a decision is unfair

to cry out for help

9 2.7

To shout loudly when you need help right away

to cry down

7.1

To speak badly about someone or something in public

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

to wail

72 3.2

to sob

141 1.0

to cry

∞ 1.0

to sniffle

22 2.3

Surface Forms

cry infinitive

cried past

cried past participle

crying present participle

cries third person singular

Etymology

Cry as a verb comes from the old idea of 'calling out' with your voice, and it later came to mean making tears and sounds from strong feeling. So to cry is to show emotion by making noises and shedding tears.