cry out

phrasal verb

cried out; crying out; cries out

1

: to make a loud sound because of pain, fear, surprise, etc.

She cried out in pain.

2

: to speak in a loud voice : to say something loudly or from a distance

We could hear them on the shore crying out to us, so we waved.

She cried out for help.

3

—used to say that something clearly needs or should have a particular thing, person, use, etc.

—often + to be

A chair like this cries out to be used, not kept in some museum.

The meal cried out to be eaten with a nice white wine.

—often + for

The meal cried out for a nice white wine.

The job cries out for someone who's not afraid to take chances.

Examples of cry out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The song incorporates music, spoken word, clips of a Vietnamese woman crying out for her son, and the sound of air raid sirens. —Lilit Marcus, CNN Money, 30 Apr. 2025

As the week passed, neighbors started to notice a powerful stench and heard the little girl crying out, cops were told. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2025

Mikal Mahdi cried out as the shots hit him, and his arms flexed. —CBS News, 11 Apr. 2025

Elkana is crying out for help, begging us not to forget him in the tunnel hell. —Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for cry out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout