cry

cry1 [ kraı ] (past tense and past participle cried [ kraıd ] ) verb ***

1. ) intransitive or transitive to have tears coming from your eyes, especially because you are sad:

I'm sorry please don't cry.

cry for: She could hear her brother crying for his mother.

cry with pain/happiness/relief/rage etc.: Now she felt like crying with rage at her own stupidity.

cry over/about: Laura was angry with herself for wasting time crying over him.

cry tears of rage/frustration/pain etc.: He cried tears of frustration at his inability to help.

cry yourself to sleep (=cry continuously until you start to sleep): I cried myself to sleep at night for weeks after we broke up.

a ) if a baby cries, it makes a loud noise because it is hungry or uncomfortable

2. ) intransitive or transitive to shout something:

That's not what I meant, Polly cried.

cry for help: Ted could hear a woman's voice crying for help.

cry someone's name: She sometimes cries his name in her sleep.

cry (something) in surprise/alarm/horror/delight etc.: No! he cried in horror.

3. ) intransitive if an animal or bird cries, it makes a loud noise

cry your eyes/heart out INFORMAL

to cry in an uncontrolled way

cry foul

to say publicly that something is dishonest or illegal, especially when it affects you directly:

Australia has cried foul over the decision to increase export subsidies.

cry on someone's shoulder INFORMAL

to tell someone about all the things that are making you sad or upset. The person you are talking to is a shoulder to cry on.

cry over spilled milk

to waste time feeling upset about something bad that has happened and cannot be changed:

No use crying over spilled milk, she said.

for crying out loud SPOKEN

used for expressing anger

,cry `off phrasal verb intransitive INFORMAL

to decide not to do something that you had promised or agreed to do

,cry `out phrasal verb

1. ) intransitive to make a loud noise because you are in pain or because you are afraid or shocked:

It's enough to make most people cry out in horror.

2. ) intransitive or transitive to shout something, especially when you are surprised or worried:

Be careful! Miss Honey cried out.

cry out for: Someone was crying out for help.

,cry `out for phrasal verb transitive usually progressive

cry out for something to clearly need something a lot:

This room is crying out for some new furniture.

cry

cry 2 [ kraı ] noun count **

▸ 1 of emotion/pain

▸ 2 shouted words

▸ 3 of animal/bird

▸ 4 act of producing tears

▸ 5 urgent request

▸ 6 emotional reaction

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) a loud expression of emotion, especially pain, fear, or happiness:

cry of: a cry of pain/anguish

give/utter a cry: The horses gave a cry of alarm.

2. ) something that someone shouts:

There was a cry of Fire! and everyone started to panic.

3. ) the noise that an animal or bird makes:

the cry of a wolf

4. ) singular a period of time when you have tears coming from your eyes, especially because you are sad:

have a (good) cry: She went to the toilet and had a good cry.

5. ) an urgent request for something:

a cry for help: Was cutting her wrists a cry for help, or was it a real attempt to kill herself?

6. ) an emotional reaction from the public:

cry of: A cry of outrage greeted the publication of his book.

In response to cries of protest, two ministers resigned.

be a far cry from INFORMAL

to be very different from someone or something:

Paris was a far cry from the village where she grew up.

in full cry

1. ) behaving in an enthusiastic and noisy way:

By the next day the tabloids were in full cry, calling for the government to take immediate action.

2. ) if a group of dogs hunting an animal are in full cry, they are chasing it in a very enthusiastic and noisy way