cry 1 of 2

verb

ˈkrī How to pronounce cry (audio)
Definition of crynext
1
as in to weep
to shed tears often while making meaningless sounds as a sign of pain or distress some kids started to cry even before the doctor had given them their shot

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to sing
to utter one's distinctive animal sound we knew that we were getting very close to the ocean when we could hear sea gulls crying

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to shout
to speak so as to be heard at a distance a mother crying for help

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cry

2 of 2

noun

1
as in shout
a loud vocal expression of strong emotion a cry of despair arose when the smoke of the bomb blast cleared

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in call
a natural vocal sound made by an animal the lonesome cry of a coyote

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in slogan
an attention-getting word or phrase used to publicize something (as a campaign or product) "A chance to change America" was the cry on which the candidate was hoping to win the White House

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in plea
an earnest request the king was deaf to their cries

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in scream
a sudden short emotional utterance cries of disbelief greeted the announcement of the surprise winner for best picture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cry
Verb
While police continued to investigate John’s motive, distraught parents, teachers and others gathered outside the school Saturday to leave flowers, pray and cry. — Martha Bellisle, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026 Among them were a parent at her daughter’s school who recognized her on account of her voice alone and a dad on an airplane whose baby had been crying non-stop for over an hour. — Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Noun
Angry but empathetic, frank in its darkness but refusing to wallow in it, Tip Toe is a cry of frustration that cuts right to the heart. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026 Lacking life detection equipment, the workers strained to hear their cries. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cry
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cry
  1. weep
  2. sing
  3. shout
  4. howl
  5. call
  6. slogan
  7. plea
  8. scream
Verb
  • The prosecutor argued the beatings basically never stopped, claiming footage showed nannies beating one child, then turning their violence toward any of the other toddlers who wept while watching.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Ambulances were seen leaving the hospital to bring the children's bodies home as mourners wept and wailed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of weep
Verb
  • His closest competitor, Chris Brown, sang about navigating teenage love.
    — Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The song is a tale of a small town drying up as businessmen buy up all the land, and Supernaw — with his distinctive twang — sang it as a hard-luck ballad.
    — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of sing
Verb
  • Hollywell nods in agreement, and shouts out all the graffiti artists and other creatives who are still nearby.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
  • While one fan shouts criticism at an official’s call at Mira Costa High, Grandma and Grandpa Reis calmly and confidently root for their grandsons, Christian, a running back, and Weston, a linebacker.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of shout
Noun
  • When the sun goes down, the wind picks up in central New Mexico, whipping through arid canyons with a ghostly howl that for centuries, locals have likened to the wails of the folkloric ghost La Llorona.
    — Sara Herschander, Vox, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The second slide was a video (without sound) of the couple’s first kiss, which King prefaced with what looked like a howl of joy, followed by a series of passionate kisses and an arms-in-the-air yelp from the groom.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of howl
Noun
  • Miller crunched the numbers and made the contrarian call that Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock would win.
    — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Kim Aris, the London son of former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, said he was allowed a 20-minute phone call from the Nobel Peace Prize winner detained in her native country and who has not been seen publicly in five years.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of call
Noun
  • Protesters in Italy and Greece have referenced their French counterparts in their slogans.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Many of today’s young protesters have specifically referenced that heritage in interviews and slogans.
    — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of slogan
Noun
  • In August 2023, Bangs offered LaGrone an earlier plea agreement under which he would have been sentenced to 25 years in prison, according to a record in the district clerk’s file.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
  • An Eagle man charged with animal cruelty in the shooting deaths of two caged cats was ordered to serve a total of 14 days in jail after accepting a plea deal in August, according to court records.
    — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of plea
Noun
  • Prepare for emotion, some skin, swearing, darkness, a primal scream and lightning.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Jamie Lee Curtis, no stranger to a scream, then took the stage to reflect on the enduring pull of the horror genre and spotlight the museum’s newest exhibition, The Horror Show.
    — Freya Drohan, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of scream

Phrases Containing cry

Browse Nearby Words

cruxes
cry
crybabies
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cry. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All