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
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 Web
Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Her mother was too malnourished to breast-feed; the baby cried constantly, began losing weight, and developed ulcers and infections.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
While many messages and cries against the administration were shared, the common thread of the protest was people coming together to show America's strength and the power of the people.
—Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cry
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Verb
The majority of the action, however, unfolds in a claustrophobic one-shot inside a tent, with our heroes quaking at the whoops and cries surrounding them.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Her mother was too malnourished to breast-feed; the baby cried constantly, began losing weight, and developed ulcers and infections.
—Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Noun
Their cry is not against the faith itself but against distorted theology that excuses cruelty.
—Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
While many messages and cries against the administration were shared, the common thread of the protest was people coming together to show America's strength and the power of the people.
—Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 18 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cry
Cite this Entry
“Cry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cry. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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
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