cry

The word “cry” means to shed tears, usually from sadness, pain, or strong emotion. In plain terms, to weep, or to shout something out loudly.

“Cry” is pronounced kreye (/kɹaɪ/ in IPA).

Here is “cry” used in a sentence: “She started to cry when she heard the news.”

Words with a similar meaning to “cry” include bawl, blubber, sob, wail, weep and whimper.

The opposite of “cry” — its antonyms — is laugh.

Depending on how it is used, “cry” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “cry” dates back to around 1200 and comes from Latin. From Old French crier, tracing back to Latin quiritare ("to shout"). The sense of shedding tears developed in English from the 13th century onward, gradually replacing the older word "weep".

“Cry” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

Both mean to shed tears, but 'weep' is more formal and literary and suggests quiet, sorrowful crying. 'Cry' is the everyday word and covers everything from gentle tears to loud sobbing. Cry can also mean to shout out, whereas weep almost always refers to tears alone.

Crying is the general act of shedding tears from emotion or pain. Sobbing is a more intense, noisy form of crying, marked by gasping breaths and shaking. All sobbing is crying, but crying becomes sobbing only when it grows loud, convulsive, and hard to control.

Many experts believe so. Crying can release built-up tension, ease stress, and signal to others that you need comfort and support. Emotional tears may help the body process grief or pain. While it will not solve a problem, a good cry often leaves people feeling calmer and relieved.

Tears are not limited to sadness. Intense emotion of any kind, whether joy, relief, pride, or love, can overwhelm the body and trigger crying. Some researchers think happy tears help restore emotional balance when feelings run very high, which is why weddings and reunions so often bring them on.