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Synonyms

cry for

Idioms  

  1. Also, cry out for; have a crying need for. Be in urgent need of, as in This wall cries for a second coat of paint, or This car is crying out for a good washing, or There is a crying need for order in this house. The figurative use of cry for, literally meaning “implore” or “weep for,” dates from the late 1500s, as does the use of crying for “demanding attention.” The first variant, alluding to actually shouting out one's needs or desires, dates from the second half of the 1800s.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See, Katherine, I am not going to flunk out as a cry for help! he thought.

From Literature

"I cried for them. I actually had to delete the post because I just couldn't look at it anymore."

From BBC

"Now you come here to ask me favors. But what were you but a raggedy, bare-bottomed little boy like all the rest once upon a time, crying for your mama when Sheba passed by?"

From Literature

“Learn a Trade” isn’t just a rallying cry for younger generations to skip college and pursue in-demand blue-collar work.

From The Wall Street Journal

He had never caused such a commotion before, not even the night last week when his ear ached and he cried for a whole hour.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.