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Examples of crocodile tears in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Enter the crocodile tears, which Caroline and Tiyana buy right away.
—Nick Caruso, TVLine, 23 Oct. 2024
Shedding crocodile tears, Baldwin sobbed like a pro.
—Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 16 July 2024
The East Coast socialites Capote fawns over are lacquered gorgons (for whom the show occasionally sheds crocodile tears, as in the case of Paley’s cancer diagnosis); the Hollywood crowd that takes him in is tasteless lightweights.
—Mike Hale, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2024
But pardon us for not shedding any crocodile tears, and shame on those few officials who have used scare tactics to exaggerate the law’s impact.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024
When Rudolf learns he’s being transferred to a new post in Oranienburg, Germany, potentially upending their idyllic existence, Hedwig screams and rants and sheds crocodile tears.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
Kristol would not brook being lectured to by thinkers feigning a concern for conservatism and shedding crocodile tears over its fall from a dignified version limited to quoting maxims from Edmund Burke.
—The Intersection, Discover Magazine, 18 June 2011
Nobody has used crocodile tears in television more than the matriarch of the Byrde crime family.
—Mike Postalakis, SPIN, 9 June 2022
The Merriam-Webster dictionary also seemed to weigh in, offering a definition of crocodile tears.
—Anna Kaplan, Forbes, 11 Nov. 2021
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Word History
First Known Use
1563, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to crocodile tears
Dictionary Entries Near crocodile tears
Cite this Entry
“Crocodile tears.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crocodile%20tears. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
crocodile tears
plural noun
: pretended tears or sorrow
Word Origin
An ancient fable tells of a crocodile that sheds tears while eating its prey. Of course, a crocodile is not really sorry for killing and eating another animal because that's how it survives. So when someone is said to shed crocodile tears, it refers to a show of pretended sorrow usually by someone who has done something cruel.
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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