cry
Pronunciation: (krī), [key]
— v., n., pl. cried, cry•ing, cries.
—v.i.
- to utter inarticulate sounds, esp. of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears.
- to weep; shed tears, with or without sound.
- to call loudly; shout; yell (sometimes fol. by out).
- to demand resolution or strongly indicate a particular disposition: The rise in crime cried out for greater police protection.
- to give forth vocal sounds or characteristic calls, as animals; yelp; bark.
- (of a hound or pack) to bay continuously and excitedly in following a scent.
- (of tin) to make a noise, when bent, like the crumpling of paper.
—v.t.
- to utter or pronounce loudly; call out.
- to announce publicly as for sale; advertise: to cry one's wares.
- to beg or plead for; implore: to cry mercy.
- to bring (oneself&hasp;) to a specified state by weeping: The infant cried itself to sleep.
- to disparage; belittle: Those people cry down everyone who differs from them.
- See(def. 2).
- to break a promise, agreement, etc.: We made arrangements to purchase a house, but the owner cried off at the last minute.
- to cry excessively or inconsolably: The little girl cried her eyes out when her cat died.
- See(def. 4).
- to praise; extol: to cry up one's profession.
—n.
- the act or sound of crying; any loud utterance or exclamation; a shout, scream, or wail.
- clamor; outcry.
- a fit of weeping: to have a good cry.
- the utterance or call of an animal.
- a political or party slogan.
- See
- an oral proclamation or announcement.
- a call of wares for sale, services available, etc., as by a street vendor.
- public report.
- an opinion generally expressed.
- an entreaty; appeal.
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- a pack of hounds.
- a continuous baying of a hound or a pack in following a scent.
- This treatment is a far cry from that which we received before.
- quite some distance; a long way.
- only remotely related; very different:This treatment is a far cry from that which we received before.
- in hot pursuit: The pack followed in full cry.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.