English Explanatory Dictionary

cry

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To shed tears; to weep, especially in anger or sadness.
  2. To utter loudly; to call out; to declare publicly.
  3. To shout, scream, yell.
  4. To forcefully attract attention or proclaim one’s presence.
  5. To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals do.
  6. To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping.
  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.
  8. Hence, to publish the banns of, as for marriage.
noun
  1. A shedding of tears; the act of crying.
  2. A shout or scream.
  3. Words shouted or screamed.
  4. A clamour or outcry.
  5. A group of hounds.
  6. A pack or company of people.
  7. A typical sound made by the species in question.
  8. A desperate or urgent request.
  9. Common report; gossip.

Pronunciation

/kɹaɪ/ en-us-cry.ogg

Word forms

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

Etymology

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 greet, regret. Already in the 13th century, the meaning was extended to include the sense "to shed tears" (natively weep); cry used in this sense had mostly replaced weep by the 16th century.

Synonyms

bawl blubber sob wail weep whimper

Antonyms

laugh

Related words

crocodile tears

Derived words

all over but the crying becry catchcry cry aim cry all the way to the bank cry and seethe 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 crying bird crying call crying game crying shame cry in one's beer cry in the wilderness cry into one's beer cry it out cry-laugh cry like a baby cry like a little girl cry off cry on cry oneself to sleep cry one's eyes out cry out cry out for cry over spilt milk crysome cry someone a river cry stinking fish cry the blues cry-typing cry uncle cry up cry wolf don't cry over spilled milk don't cry over spilt milk for crying in the beer for crying out loud forecry kiss and cry laugh-cry make baby Jesus cry make the bald man cry shooting and crying shoulder to cry on
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