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weeping

weeping

18 1.4
A time when someone cries with tears and sobs
  • noun
  • /ˈwiːpɪŋ/
: llanto
  • There was much weeping during the memorial service as everyone remembered their loved one.
  • weeping and gnashing
  • weeping-eye
  • weeping-eye motif

But the people in their weeping can bear an iron hand.

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Examples

  • And the pain of weeping that turned to joy, for they wept as one.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • From within the chamber, she hears his voice, filled with weeping and remorse.

    Academic text (1995)
  • There would be more weeping when she looked at his face for the last time.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • My lady, there has been much weeping at court since you left us, for you left us a maid, and you have returned a wife.

  • And the person who hears this weeping feels sad.

  • The quiet, somber atmosphere was broken by the weeping of his family.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Her eyes had been emptied with weeping, but hate moved across them like a darkness.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The fragile old woman tried to conceal her weeping eyes: Melesio noticed them but said nothing.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • It ended there, the tears, Fathers, mothers, daughters, hugging and weeping and weeping and hugging.

  • As a boy, I was also prone to weeping, rages, night terrors, extreme shyness, insomnia, and depression.

    Academic text (2002)

Synonyms

tears
vsweeping
512 1.0

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

is an active display often with vocal sounds rather than only eye drops
crying
vsweeping
119 1.0

Tears and sounds you make when you feel sad or hurt

focuses on the act of shedding tears rather than on loud sounds
cry
vsweeping
30 1.0

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

is the general act often including ongoing sobs rather than at one time
sobbing
vsweeping
16 1.0

Short gasping sounds someone makes while crying loudly

is the general act that can include many kinds of vocal expression
wailing
vsweeping
11 3.5

Loud long cries made when someone feels deep pain or sadness

is the emotional act that may be shorter and less loudly expressed
lamentation
vsweeping
  • Literature
6 7.7

A strong feeling of sadness that people show by crying

is the simple act of shedding tears often with vocal sounds not formal mourning
tearing
vsweeping
5 1.4

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

often includes vocal expressions like sobs rather than quiet shedding
bawling
vsweeping
2 3.5

Loud, noisy crying when someone is very upset

is gentler and can include quieter vocal sounds rather than extreme loudness
tearfulness
vsweeping
1 4.3

A feeling of having many tears and wanting to cry because of sadness

is the active process often showing immediate vocal expressions rather than being a state
lacrimation
vsweeping
  • Specialized
1 8.6

Tears that come from the eyes because of feelings or eye irritation

focuses on emotional shedding often with vocal signs rather than medical causes
effusion of tears
vsweeping
7.7

Tears that suddenly flow because of a strong feeling

is the ordinary act of producing eye drops often without sudden abundance
lachrymation
vsweeping
  • UK
9.8

Tears that come from the eyes, often because of irritation or illness

is mainly the emotional act often accompanied by sobs rather than clinical signs

Antonyms

591 1.0

The sound people make when they find something funny

Compounds

A tree with long hanging branches and thin leaves that often grows near water

A type of beech tree with long drooping branches often grown in gardens

1 8.1

A medium-sized spruce tree with long hanging branches from California and Oregon

A tree with long drooping branches and thin leaves often planted near ponds for shade

A grass that lives for many years from South Africa and grows in dense clumps to stop soil erosion

weeping tree broom
  • New Zealand
9.9

A small plant with drooping branches and purple to white flowers from New Zealand

7.7

A kind of willow tree that often grows upright rather than with hanging branches

How Tearful

wailing
11 3.5
sobbing
16 1.0
weeping
18 1.4
crying
119 1.0

Surface Forms

weeping singular
weepings plural

Morphology

weeping = weep (transparent) = weep + ing

This is a gerund noun formed from the verb 'weep' with '-ing' indicating the act or process of crying; the relation is direct and predictable.

Etymology

Weeping as a noun comes from the verb weep, which means 'to cry', so it simply means 'the act of crying'.