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to cry for

to cry for

3 4.1
To need something urgently
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : clamar por
  • Maybe I should cry for help
  • cries for help

And we've never been busier than we are right now with schools just crying for help.

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Examples

  • The American public is crying for peace.

  • Still, the voters cry for protection for their children.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The world is always crying for original voices.

    Blog text (20)
  • The public cries for a "no risk" standard to be imposed on incinerators.

    Academic text (1993)
  • It was pitiful to hear the children cry for food, but we were told that none had been baked.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Today, Tottenville is one of many neighborhoods fractured and crying for your return to health.

    Blog text (2)
  • The garden measured fifty paces up one side and twenty along the other, but after six weeks of drought, it seemed as long and wide as a city block, filled with thousands of drooping plants crying for help.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The community cried for assistance after the devastating storm damaged their homes.

  • During the drought, many farmers cried for support to save their crops.

  • After the accident, the injured man cried for medical help as he lay on the ground.

Synonyms

to beg
vsto cry for
417 1.0

Ask someone very seriously and urgently for something

describes the urgent need itself rather than the act of pleading
to pray
vsto cry for
  • Archaic
256 1.6

To beg someone urgently and humbly for something

is about being in urgent need rather than the humble request to someone
to plead
vsto cry for
232 3.9

Ask someone urgently and emotionally for something

is the state of urgent need rather than the emotional request
to appeal
vsto cry for
100 2.7

To make a serious request for help or support

focuses on needing something urgently rather than asking others directly
to call for help
vsto cry for
59 1.6

To ask loudly for help in an emergency

states urgent need itself rather than the vocal act of asking
to beseech
vsto cry for
  • Formal
47 8.2

To ask someone earnestly for something

focuses on needing something urgently rather than the emotional plea
to seek help
vsto cry for
30 2.0

Ask someone for support when you face a problem

signals urgent need rather than the general act of looking for help
to cry out for
vsto cry for
26 4.1

To urgently need something

is the same urgent need but presented as the main entry
to cry out for help
vsto cry for
7 2.7

To shout loudly when you need help right away

describes the urgent need itself rather than the shout for it
to call for support
vsto cry for
1 3.1

To ask people or groups for help when you need it

expresses being in urgent need rather than the act of requesting help
to shout for help
vsto cry for
1 1.0

Call out loudly to ask someone to come to you when you are in danger

expresses the underlying urgent requirement rather than calling out
to beg on one's knees
vsto cry for
  • Informal
1 7.0

Ask someone for help or forgiveness while kneeling and looking very desperate

describes urgent need itself rather than the humble act of pleading

Antonyms

1.0

A large amount that is more than needed

99 4.7

To be enough for what is needed

How Needed

to cry for
3 4.1
to require
1.1
to need
1.0

Surface Forms

cry for infinitive
cried for past
cried for past participle
crying for present participle
cries for third person singular

Morphology

cry + for

The meaning is directly derivable from the constituents: 'cry' (to call for urgent attention) combined with the preposition 'for' that marks the target yields 'call out for / demand X', so 'cry for attention' naturally means to need attention. This verb+preposition composition is common in English and has close parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Cry for comes from the simple image of someone making a loud call, a cry, toward someone or something, the for, because they very much need help. So, when we say something 'cries for' action today, we mean it strongly 'needs' that action.