cried; crying
1
: to utter loudly : shout
He cried "Wait!" but it was too late.
3
: to proclaim publicly : advertise
cry their wares
1
: to call loudly : shout
She cried out for help.
2
3
: to utter a characteristic sound or call
heard the seagulls crying
4
: to require or suggest strongly a remedy or disposition (see disposition sense 2b)
… there are a hundred things which cry out for planning …—
Roger Burlingame
Roger Burlingame
plural cries
1
2
a
obsolete
: proclamation
b
4
: a loud shout
6
a
: common report
b
: a general opinion
7
: the public voice raised in protest or approval
8
: a fit of weeping
9
: the characteristic sound or call of an animal
10
a
: a pack of hounds
b(1)
: pursuit
—used in the phrase in full cry
hounds in full cry
(2)
: a peak of activity or excitement
—used in the phrase in full cry
a campaign in full cry
Synonyms
Examples of cry in a Sentence
Verb
The baby is crying. Is she okay?
Some people cry more easily than others.
He cried silently while the song played.
She cried all the way home from school that day.
She couldn't imagine why anyone would cry over a stupid movie.
She was crying with relief.
They cried tears of joy.
“Help,” he cried, “Get a doctor! Quick!”
I heard someone cry “Wait!” but the train pulled away anyway.
She'd never heard the sound of sea gulls crying by the shore.
Noun
The baby's cry woke me out of a deep sleep.
There was a cry of “Fire” and we all rushed for the exits.
The children were playing a game and their happy cries echoed through the house.
the wild cry of a coyote
Recent Examples on the WebAshley Okwuosa, The Examination; Amy Yurkanin, Al.com; John Diedrich, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
And not everybody who is crying wants the tears to stop, or needs a tissue to plug them up, or wants a hug.
—Tonya Mosley, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
There are also intense bodily reactions: crying, screaming, and purging.
—Michaela Trimble, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Apr. 2024
Three months later, an officer visiting Desert Willow Elementary for an unrelated reason found the boy hysterically crying in the assistant principal’s office.
—Yana Kunichoff, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
By learning to comfort their infants, understand their parenting influences from childhood, anticipate postpartum challenges, and practice mindfulness, moms not only saw improvements in their mental well-being but also witnessed their babies crying and fussing less.
—Maytal Eyal and Bridget Freihart, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
We are primed to scold Doug for depriving his girlfriend of a creative outlet and the shoulders of strong female characters to cry on.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Half of the people who see an eclipse for the first time will cry.
—David Pogue, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2024
His parents learn afterwards that this is the first day that Omer cried since he was taken.
—Bianna Golodryga, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
Sometimes, my son would put his head on the pillow at night and cry.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
For more than 12 hours, the twins’ cries were used as bait by militants to ambush incoming Israeli rescue teams.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
In an interview on The Ringer's Dear Felicity podcast, Garner recalls auditioning for the show and having to have a good cry in the bathroom due to the emotion of the scene.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
One of those cries appeared in a clip in her post, when her doctor appeared to be consoling her ahead of one of her procedures.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
For his part, Alexander seemed to recognize that making Reba cry was a sign of a real connection.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2024
Owners held onto hope for months that, like Horace’s deathbed cry, the Matchless would make millions again.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Louder than all this is the protective cry from her fans, who stand at the ready to make fools of her doubters.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
Some of the students were crying, anxious and upset.
—Ashley Okwuosa, The Examination; Amy Yurkanin, Al.com; John Diedrich, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024
And not everybody who is crying wants the tears to stop, or needs a tissue to plug them up, or wants a hug.
—Tonya Mosley, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
There are also intense bodily reactions: crying, screaming, and purging.
—Michaela Trimble, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Apr. 2024
Three months later, an officer visiting Desert Willow Elementary for an unrelated reason found the boy hysterically crying in the assistant principal’s office.
—Yana Kunichoff, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
By learning to comfort their infants, understand their parenting influences from childhood, anticipate postpartum challenges, and practice mindfulness, moms not only saw improvements in their mental well-being but also witnessed their babies crying and fussing less.
—Maytal Eyal and Bridget Freihart, TIME, 17 Apr. 2024
We are primed to scold Doug for depriving his girlfriend of a creative outlet and the shoulders of strong female characters to cry on.
—Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
Half of the people who see an eclipse for the first time will cry.
—David Pogue, CBS News, 7 Apr. 2024
His parents learn afterwards that this is the first day that Omer cried since he was taken.
—Bianna Golodryga, CNN, 7 Apr. 2024
Noun
You will be deluged with disinformation and hear cries of creeping socialism.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
Sometimes, my son would put his head on the pillow at night and cry.
—Mia Taylor, Parents, 9 Apr. 2024
For more than 12 hours, the twins’ cries were used as bait by militants to ambush incoming Israeli rescue teams.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024
In an interview on The Ringer's Dear Felicity podcast, Garner recalls auditioning for the show and having to have a good cry in the bathroom due to the emotion of the scene.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 4 Apr. 2024
One of those cries appeared in a clip in her post, when her doctor appeared to be consoling her ahead of one of her procedures.
—Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
For his part, Alexander seemed to recognize that making Reba cry was a sign of a real connection.
—Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 7 Mar. 2024
Owners held onto hope for months that, like Horace’s deathbed cry, the Matchless would make millions again.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
Louder than all this is the protective cry from her fans, who stand at the ready to make fools of her doubters.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cry
Cite this Entry
“Cry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cry. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cry
2 of 2 noun
plural cries
1
: a loud call or shout (as of pain, fear, or joy)
2
: appeal entry 1 sense 2, plea
hear my cry
3
: a fit of weeping
had a good cry
4
: the special sound of an animal (as a bird)
5
6
a
: a pack of hounds
b
: pursuit
—used in the phrase in full cry
hounds in full cry
c
: a peak of activity or excitement
—used in the phrase in full cry
a campaign in full cry
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share