cry

A shedding of tears; the act of crying.

Noun

  1. A shedding of tears; the act of crying.
    • After we broke up, I retreated to my room for a good cry.
  2. A shout or scream.
    • I heard a cry from afar.
  3. Words shouted or screamed.
    • a battle cry
  4. A clamour or outcry.
    • His pupil, Maimonides, that he might not be under the necessity of violating the laws of friendship and gratitude, by joining the general cry against Averroes, left Corduba. - 1812, Alexander Chalmers, The General...
  5. A group of hounds.
    • A cry more tunable / Was never hollaed to, nor cheered with horn. - c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “A Midsommer Nights Dreame”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published...
    • 1667, Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II, in Edward Hawkins, The Poetical Works of John Milton: With Notes of Various Authors, Vol. I, W. Baxter, J. Parker, G. B. Whittaker (publs., 1824) pages 124 to 126, lines 648 to 659....
  6. A pack or company of people.
    • Would not this […] get me a fellowship in a cry of players? - c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies...
  7. A typical sound made by the species in question.
    • "Woof" is the cry of a dog, while "neigh" is the cry of a horse.
    • But the shrill wild cry of the heron overpowered the cries of all the other birds, whom it seemed to terrify; they were silent the moment they heard it, and a silence followed which made the interruption doubly...
  8. A desperate or urgent request.
  9. Common report; gossip.
    • The cry goes that you shall marry her. - c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio),...

Origin

The verb is from Middle English crien (13th century), from Old French crier, from Vulgar Latin *crītāre, generally thought to derive from Classical Latin quirītāre (Proto-West Germanic *krītan has also been suggested as a source). The noun corresponds to Middle English cry, crie, from Old French cri, a deverbal of crier. etymology note Middle English crien eventually displaced native Middle English galen (“to cry out”) (from Old English galan), Middle English greden (“to cry out”) (from Old English grǣdan), Middle English yermen (“to bellow, mourn, lament”) (from Old English ġierman), Middle English hooen, hoen (“to cry out”) (from Old Norse hóa), Middle English remen (“to cry, shout”) (from Old English hrīeman, compare Old English hrēam (“noise, outcry, lamentation, alarm”)), Middle English greten, graten (“to weep, cry, lament”) (from Old English grǣtan and Old Norse gráta). More at...

Forms

cries

Related

crocodile tears

Derived

all cry and no wool battle cry countercry crybaby cryfest cry for help cry room cuckoo cry far cry give cry great cry and little wool hue and cry in full cry midcry more cry than wool parrot cry party cry rallying cry tin cry undercry war cry within cry

Verb

  1. To shed tears; to weep, especially in anger or sadness.
    • That sad movie always makes me cry.
    • - Emerl: “There’s nothing worse than making a girl cry!” That’s what Sonic said... - 2003, Sonic Team, Sonic Battle, Sega, published 2003, Game Boy Advance, level/area: Cream’s Story:
  2. To utter loudly; to call out; to declare publicly.
    • All, all, cry shame against ye, yet I'll speak. - c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First...
    • [T]he Man put his fingers in his Ears, and ran on crying, Life, Life, Eternal Life: [...] - 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […],...
  3. To shout, scream, yell.
    • And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice. - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 27:46:
  4. To forcefully attract attention or proclaim one’s presence.
    • My secrets cry aloud. I have no need for tongue. - 1941, Theodore Roethke, “Open House”, in Open House, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A[braham] Knopf, →OCLC; republished in The Collected Poems of Theodore Roethke, London:...
  5. To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals do.
    • the young ravens which cry - 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms 147:9:
    • In a cowslip's bell I lie / There I couch when owls do cry. - 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […]...
  6. To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping.
    • Tonight I’ll cry myself to sleep.
  7. To make oral and public proclamation of; to notify or advertise by outcry, especially things lost or found, goods to be sold, auctioned, etc.
    • to cry goods
    • Love is lost, and thus she cries him. - 1652, Richard Crashaw, The Beginning of Heliodorus:
    • “We're in luck. Loren Passerine, the finest auctioneer in the West, will be crying today.” “Will be what?” “We say an auctioneer ‘cries’ a sale,” Cohen said. - 1966 March, Thomas Pynchon, chapter 6, in The Crying of Lot...

    1. Hence, to publish the banns of, as for marriage.

      • I should not be surprised if they were cried in church next Sabbath. - 1845, Sylvester Judd, Margaret: A Tale of the Real and the Ideal, Blight and Bloom; Including Sketches of a Place Not Before Described, Called Mons...

Forms

cries crying cried no-table-tags glossary cry cryed crode criest cryest criedst cryedst crieth cryeth -

Synonyms

bawl blubber sob wail weep whimper

Antonyms

laugh

Derived

all over but the crying becry catchcry cry aim cry all the way to the bank cry and seethe crybaby cry beef cry blue murder cry buckets cry carrots and turnips cry craven cry cupboard cry down cryey cry foul cry from the housetop cry from the housetops cry from the rooftop cry from the rooftops cryful cry halves cry harder cry havoc