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
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Recent Examples on the WebRory Jones, WSJ, 31 Dec. 2023
During an interview with The Post, Puckett began to cry when asked about Overton’s comment.
—Amy Brittain, Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2023
While some women cried, a mother helped pull other migrants, including a boy, underneath the wire.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Dec. 2023
Some were crying; others wanted to tell their own story; each call was emotional.
—Matt Pearce, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Sage was ready for the moment, striking a pose as June looked around, baffled, and her two cousins cried on either side of Santa.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023
When Rebel was born at 6:10 a.m., weighing 7 pounds and 3½ ounces, Patel said there was more cheering, clapping and crying.
—Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2023
Crying & call-for-help alert: EBO X can detect if your child is crying or if anyone at home is calling for help, and trigger an app call to you.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 25 Dec. 2023
As the daughter cried, the boy helped his father get past the wire.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Dec. 2023
Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
After hearing the cries, the girl was found lying in a thick brush on the ground.
—Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 30 Nov. 2023
Camilo Montoya-Galvez The migrants' pleas, and the cries of children, quickly drowned out instructions from the guardsmen armed with rifles.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Dec. 2023
That emoji became something of a rallying cry among employees in the days that followed.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2023
Most Jewish groups see it as a cry to wipe out Israel.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023
The Manchester band’s music unfolds piece by unnerving piece, mirroring Caulfield’s fatalistic cry into the void: unsettling electronic percussion interlocks with live drums before descending into sheets of seething, inhuman noise.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2023
Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly 10 minutes despite his cries of not being able to breathe.
—Brianna Herlihy, Fox News, 20 Nov. 2023
The air at Nasser Hospital is pierced by the cries of medical workers getting their first look at patients coming in from a city under siege.
—Samar Abu Elouf, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023
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Verb
His 1-year-old daughter was crying as the family’s home in Kibbutz Nir Oz was set alight and smoke began entering the room.
—Rory Jones, WSJ, 31 Dec. 2023
During an interview with The Post, Puckett began to cry when asked about Overton’s comment.
—Amy Brittain, Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2023
While some women cried, a mother helped pull other migrants, including a boy, underneath the wire.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Dec. 2023
Some were crying; others wanted to tell their own story; each call was emotional.
—Matt Pearce, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2023
Sage was ready for the moment, striking a pose as June looked around, baffled, and her two cousins cried on either side of Santa.
—Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023
When Rebel was born at 6:10 a.m., weighing 7 pounds and 3½ ounces, Patel said there was more cheering, clapping and crying.
—Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 26 Dec. 2023
Crying & call-for-help alert: EBO X can detect if your child is crying or if anyone at home is calling for help, and trigger an app call to you.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 25 Dec. 2023
As the daughter cried, the boy helped his father get past the wire.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Dec. 2023
Noun
Behind the house, while Raff set the trap, Kroh heard something inaudible to me: the cries of newborn kittens.
—Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 25 Dec. 2023
After hearing the cries, the girl was found lying in a thick brush on the ground.
—Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 30 Nov. 2023
Camilo Montoya-Galvez The migrants' pleas, and the cries of children, quickly drowned out instructions from the guardsmen armed with rifles.
—Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 24 Dec. 2023
That emoji became something of a rallying cry among employees in the days that followed.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2023
Most Jewish groups see it as a cry to wipe out Israel.
—Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023
The Manchester band’s music unfolds piece by unnerving piece, mirroring Caulfield’s fatalistic cry into the void: unsettling electronic percussion interlocks with live drums before descending into sheets of seething, inhuman noise.
—Pitchfork, 4 Dec. 2023
Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly 10 minutes despite his cries of not being able to breathe.
—Brianna Herlihy, Fox News, 20 Nov. 2023
The air at Nasser Hospital is pierced by the cries of medical workers getting their first look at patients coming in from a city under siege.
—Samar Abu Elouf, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023
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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.
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English crien, from Anglo-French crier, from Latin quiritare to make a public outcry, perhaps from Quirit-, Quiris, Roman citizen
Noun
Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French cri, derivative of crier "to cry entry 1"
First Known Use
Verb
13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Noun
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of cry was
in the 13th century
Phrases Containing cry
Dictionary Entries Near cry
Cite this Entry
“Cry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cry. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids 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
More from Merriam-Webster on cry
Nglish: Translation of cry for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of cry for Arabic Speakers
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