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Webster 1913 Edition

Cry

Cry

(krī)
,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Cried
(krīd)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Crying
.]
[F.
crier
, cf. L.
quiritare
to raise a plaintive cry, scream, shriek, perh. fr.
queri
to complain; cf. Skr.
cvas
to pant, hiss, sigh. Cf.
Quarrel
a brawl,
Querulous
.]
1.
To make a loud call or cry; to call or exclaim vehemently or earnestly; to shout; to vociferate; to proclaim; to pray; to implore.
And about the ninth hour, Jesus
cried
with a loud voice.
Matt. xxvii. 46.
Clapping their hands, and
crying
with loud voice.
Shakespeare
Hear the voice of my supplications when I
cry
unto thee.
Ps. xxviii. 2.
The voice of him that
crieth
in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord.
Is. xl. 3.
Some
cried
after him to return.
Bunyan.
2.
To utter lamentations; to lament audibly; to express pain, grief, or distress, by weeping and sobbing; to shed tears; to bawl, as a child.
Ye shall
cry
for sorrow of heart.
Is. lxv. 14.
I could find it in my heart to disgrace my man’s apparel and to
cry
like a woman.
Shakespeare
3.
To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals.
The young ravens which
cry
.
Ps. cxlvii. 9.
In a cowslip's bell I lie
There I couch when owls do
cry
.
Shakespeare
To cry on
or
To cry upon
,
to call upon the name of; to beseech.
“No longer on Saint Denis will we cry.”
Shak.
–
To cry out
.
(a)
To exclaim; to vociferate; to scream; to clamor.
(b)
To complain loudly; to lament.
–
To cry out against
,
to complain loudly of; to censure; to blame.
–
To cry out on
or
To cry out upon
,
to denounce; to censure.
“Cries out upon abuses.”
Shak.
–
To cry to
,
to call on in prayer; to implore.
–
To cry you mercy
,
to beg your pardon.
“I cry you mercy, madam; was it you?”
Shak.

Cry

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To utter loudly; to call out; to shout; to sound abroad; to declare publicly.
All, all,
cry
shame against ye, yet I 'll speak.
Shakespeare
The man . . . ran on,
crying
, Life! life! Eternal life!
Bunyan.
2.
To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping;
as, to
cry
one's self to sleep
.
3.
To make oral and public proclamation of; to declare publicly; to notify or advertise by outcry, especially things lost or found, goods to be sold, ets.;
as, to
cry
goods, etc.
Love is lost, and thus she
cries
him.
Crashaw.
4.
Hence,
to publish the banns of, as for marriage.
I should not be surprised if they were
cried
in church next Sabbath.
Judd.
To cry aim
.
See under
Aim
.
–
To cry down
,
to decry; to depreciate; to dispraise; to condemn.

–
To cry out
,
to proclaim; to shout.
“Your gesture cries it out.”
Shak.
–
To cry quits
,
to propose, or declare, the abandonment of a contest.
–
To cry up
,
to enhance the value or reputation of by public and noisy praise; to extol; to laud publicly or urgently.

Cry

(kr?)
,
Noun.
;
pl.
Cries
(kr[GREEK]z)
.
[F.
cri
, fr.
crier
to cry. See
Cry
,
Verb.
I.
]
1.
A loud utterance; especially, the inarticulate sound produced by one of the lower animals;
as, the
cry
of hounds; the cry of wolves
.
Milton.
2.
Outcry; clamor; tumult; popular demand.
Again that
cry
was found to have been as unreasonable as ever.
Macaulay.
3.
Any expression of grief, distress, etc., accompanied with tears or sobs; a loud sound, uttered in lamentation.
There shall be a great
cry
throughout all the land.
Ex. xi. 6.
An infant crying in the night,
An infant crying for the light;
And with no language but a
cry
.
Tennyson.
4.
Loud expression of triumph or wonder or of popular acclamation or favor.
Swift.
The
cry
went once on thee.
Shakespeare
5.
Importunate supplication.
O, the most piteous
cry
of the poor souls.
Shakespeare
6.
Public advertisement by outcry; proclamation, as by hawkers of their wares.
The street
cries
of London.
Mayhew.
7.
Common report; fame.
The
cry
goes that you shall marry her.
Shakespeare
8.
A word or phrase caught up by a party or faction and repeated for effect;
as, the party
cry
of the Tories
.
All now depends upon a good
cry
.
Beaconsfield.
9.
A pack of hounds.
Milton.
A
cry
more tunable
Was never hollaed to, nor cheered with horn.
Shakespeare
10.
A pack or company of persons; – in contempt.
Would not this . . . get me a fellowship in a
cry
of players?
Shakespeare
11.
The crackling noise made by block tin when it is bent back and forth.
A far cry
,
a long distance; – in allusion to the sending of criers or messengers through the territory of a Scottish clan with an announcement or summons.

Webster 1828 Edition

Cry

CRY

,
Verb.
I.
pret. and pp. cried. It ought to be cryed.
1.
To utter a loud voice; to speak, call or exclaim with vehemence; in a very general sense.
2.
To call importunately; to utter a loud voice, by way of earnest request of prayer.
The people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Genesis 41.
The people cried to Moses, and he prayed. Numbers 11.
3.
To utter a loud voice in weeping; to utter the voice of sorrow; to lament.
But ye shall cry for sorrow of heart. Isaiah 65.
Esau cried with a great and bitter cry. Genesis 27.
Also, to weep or shed tears in silence; a popular use of the word.
4.
To utter a loud sound in distress; as, Heshbon shall cry. Isaiah 15.
He giveth food to the young raves which cry. Psalm 147.
5.
To exclaim; to utter a loud voice; with out.
And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out. Luke 9.
6.
To proclaim; to utter a loud voice, in giving public notice.
Go, and cry in the ears of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 2.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness. Isaiah 40.
7.
To bawl; to squall; as a child.
8.
To yelp, as a dog. It may be used for the uttering of a loud voice by other animals.
To cry against, to exclaim, or utter a loud voice, by way of reproof, threatening or censure.
Arise, go to Nineveh, and cry against it. Jonah 1.
To cry out, to exclaim; to vociferate; to scream; to clamor. 2. To complain loudly.
To cry out against, to complain loudly, with a view to censure; to blame; to utter censure.
To cry to, to call on in prayer; to implore.

CRY

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To proclaim; to name loudly and publicly for giving notice; as, to cry goods; to cry a lost a child.
To cry down,
1.
To decry; to depreciate by words or in writing; to dispraise; to condemn.
Men of dissolute lives cry down religion, because they would not be under the restraints of it.
2.
To overbear. Cry down this fellows insolence.
To cry up,
1.
To praise; to applaud; to extol; as, to cry up a mans talents or patriotism, or a womans beauty; to cry up the administration.
2.
To raise the price by proclamation; as, to cry up certain coins. [Not in use.]
To cry off, in the vulgar dialect, is to publish intentions of marriage.

CRY

,
Noun.
plu.
cries.
1.
In a general sense, a loud sound uttered by the mouth of an animal; applicable to the voice of man or beast, and articulate or inarticulate.
2.
A loud or vehement sound, uttered in weeping, or lamentation; it may be a shriek or scream.
And there shall be a great cry in all the land of Egypt. Exodus 11.
3.
Clamor; outcry; as, war, war, is the public cry.
And there arose a great cry. Acts 23.
4.
Exclamations of triumph, or wonder, or of other passion.
5.
Proclamation; public notice.
At midnight there was a cry made. Matthew 25.
6.
The notices of hawkers of wares to be sold int he street are called cries; as the cries of London.
7.
Acclamation; expression of popular favor.
The cry went once for thee.
8.
A loud voice in distress, prayer or request; importunate call.
He forgetteth no the cry of the humble. Psalm 9.
There was a great cry in Egypt. Exodus 12.
9.
Public reports or complaints; noise; fame.
Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great--I will go down, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it. Genesis 18.
10.
Bitter complaints of oppression and injustice.
He looked for righteousness, and behold a cry. Isaiah 5.
11.
The sound or voice of irrational animals; expression of joy, fright, alarm, or want; as the cries of fowls, the yell or yelping of dogs, &c.
1.
A pack of dogs.

Definition 2024

cry

cry

English

Verb

cry ‎(third-person singular simple present cries, present participle crying, simple past and past participle cried)

a woman crying (1)
  1. (intransitive) To shed tears; to weep.
    That sad movie always makes me cry.
  2. (transitive) To utter loudly; to call out; to declare publicly.
    • Shakespeare
      All, all, cry shame against ye, yet I'll speak.
    • Bunyan
      The man […] ran on, crying, Life! life! Eternal life!
  3. (transitive, intransitive) To shout, scream, yell.
    • Bible, Matthew xxvii. 46
      And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice.
  4. (intransitive) To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals do.
    • Bible, Psalms cxlvii. 9
      the young ravens which cry
    • Shakespeare
      In a cowslip's bell I lie / There I couch when owls do cry.
  5. (transitive) To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping.
    Tonight I'll cry myself to sleep.
  6. To make oral and public proclamation of; to notify or advertise by outcry, especially things lost or found, goods to be sold, etc.
    to cry goods
    • Crashaw
      Love is lost, and thus she cries him.
  7. Hence, to publish the banns of, as for marriage.
    • Judd
      I should not be surprised if they were cried in church next Sabbath.

Synonyms

  • weep
  • See also Wikisaurus:weep
  • See also Wikisaurus:shout

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

cry ‎(plural cries)

  1. A shedding of tears; the act of crying.
    After we broke up, I retreated to my room for a good cry.
  2. A shout or scream.
    I heard a cry from afar.
  3. Words shouted or screamed.
    a battle cry
  4. (collectively) A group of hounds.
    • Shakespeare
      A cry more tunable / Was never hollaed to, nor cheered with horn.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Milton to this entry?)
  5. (obsolete, derogatory) A pack or company of people.
    • Shakespeare
      Would not this […] get me a fellowship in a cry of players?
  6. (transitive, intransitive, of an animal) A typical sound made by the species in question.
    "Woof" is the cry of a dog, while "neigh" is the cry of a horse.
  7. A desperate or urgent request.
  8. (obsolete) Common report; gossip.
    • Shakespeare
      The cry goes that you shall marry her.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

References

  • “cry” in An American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster, 1828.
  • cry in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • cry in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: individual · girls · wall · #809: cry · step · turning · village

Anagrams

Middle French

Etymology

Old French cri

Noun

cry m (plural crys)

  1. cry; shout

Descendants

Scots

Verb

cry ‎(third-person singular present cries, present participle cryin, past cried, past participle cried)

  1. to call, to give a name to
    • A body whit studies the history is cried a historian an aw.

Etymology

From Middle English crien, from Old French crier ("to announce publicly, proclaim, scream, shout"; > Medieval Latin crīdāre ‎(“to cry out, shout, publish, proclaim”)), from Frankish *krītan ‎(“to cry, cry out, publish”), from Proto-Germanic *krītaną ‎(“to cry out, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *greyd- ‎(“to shout”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian kriete ‎(“to cry”), Dutch krijten ‎(“to cry”) and krijsen ‎(“to shriek”), Middle Low German krīten ‎(“to cry, call out, shriek”), German kreißen ‎(“to cry loudly, wail, groan”), Gothic 𐌺𐍂𐌴𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 ‎(kreitan, “to cry, scream, call out”), Latin gingrītus ‎(“the cackling of geese”), Middle Irish grith ‎(“a cry”), Welsh gryd ‎(“a scream”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kɹaɪ̯/
  • Rhymes: -aɪ

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