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cry off

 - 4 dictionary results

cry

  [krahy] verb, cried, cry⋅ing, noun, plural cries.
Use cry off in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to utter inarticulate sounds, esp. of lamentation, grief, or suffering, usually with tears.
2. to weep; shed tears, with or without sound.
3. to call loudly; shout; yell (sometimes fol. by out).
4. to demand resolution or strongly indicate a particular disposition: The rise in crime cried out for greater police protection.
5. to give forth vocal sounds or characteristic calls, as animals; yelp; bark.
6. (of a hound or pack) to bay continuously and excitedly in following a scent.
7. (of tin) to make a noise, when bent, like the crumpling of paper.
–verb (used with object)
8. to utter or pronounce loudly; call out.
9. to announce publicly as for sale; advertise: to cry one's wares.
10. to beg or plead for; implore: to cry mercy.
11. to bring (oneself) to a specified state by weeping: The infant cried itself to sleep.
–noun
12. the act or sound of crying; any loud utterance or exclamation; a shout, scream, or wail.
13. clamor; outcry.
14. a fit of weeping: to have a good cry.
15. the utterance or call of an animal.
16. a political or party slogan.
17. battle cry.
18. an oral proclamation or announcement.
19. a call of wares for sale, services available, etc., as by a street vendor.
20. public report.
21. an opinion generally expressed.
22. an entreaty; appeal.
23. Fox Hunting.
a. a pack of hounds.
b. a continuous baying of a hound or a pack in following a scent.
—Verb phrases
24. cry down, to disparage; belittle: Those people cry down everyone who differs from them.
25. cry off, to break a promise, agreement, etc.: We made arrangements to purchase a house, but the owner cried off at the last minute.
26. cry up, to praise; extol: to cry up one's profession.
—Idioms
27. a far cry,
a. quite some distance; a long way.
b. only remotely related; very different: This treatment is a far cry from that which we received before.
28. cry havoc. havoc (def. 4).
29. cry one's eyes or heart out, to cry excessively or inconsolably: The little girl cried her eyes out when her cat died.
30. cry over spilled or spilt milk. milk (def. 10).
31. in full cry, in hot pursuit: The pack followed in full cry.
Origin:
1175–1225; (v.) ME crien < AF, OF crier < VL *crītāre for L quirītāre to cry out in protest, make a public cry; associated by folk etym. with Quirītēs Quirites; (n.) < AF, OF cri, n. deriv. of the v.

Synonyms:
1. wail, keen, moan. 2. sob, bawl, whimper. 3. yowl, bawl, clamor, vociferate, exclaim, ejaculate, scream. Cry, shout, bellow, roar refer to kinds of loud articulate or inarticulate sounds. Cry is the general word: to cry out. To shout is to raise the voice loudly in uttering words or other articulate sounds: He shouted to his companions. Bellow refers to the loud, deep cry of a bull, moose, etc., or, somewhat in deprecation, to human utterance that suggests such a sound: The speaker bellowed his answer. Roar refers to a deep, hoarse, rumbling or vibrant cry, often of tumultuous volume: The crowd roared approval.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To cry off
cry   (krī)   
v.   cried (krīd), cry·ing, cries (krīz)

v.   intr.

  1. To sob or shed tears because of grief, sorrow, or pain; weep.

  2. To call loudly; shout.

  3. To utter a characteristic sound or call. Used of an animal.

  4. To demand or require immediate action or remedy: grievances crying out for redress.

v.   tr.

  1. To utter loudly; call out.

  2. To proclaim or announce in public: crying one's wares in the marketplace.

  3. To bring into a particular condition by weeping: cry oneself to sleep.

  4. Archaic To beg for; implore: cry forgiveness.

n.   pl. cries (krīz)

  1. A loud utterance of an emotion, such as fear, anger, or despair.

  2. A loud exclamation; a shout or call.

  3. A fit of weeping: had a good long cry.

  4. An urgent entreaty or appeal.

  5. A public or general demand or complaint.

  6. A common view or general report.

  7. An advertising of wares by calling out: venders' cries at the fish market.

  8. A rallying call or signal: a cry to arms.

  9. A slogan, especially a political one.

  10. The characteristic call or utterance of an animal.

    1. The baying of hounds during the chase.

    2. A pack of hounds.

  12. Obsolete Clamor; outcry.

  13. Obsolete A public announcement; a proclamation.

Phrasal Verb(s):
cry downTo belittle or disparage.
cry offTo break or withdraw from a promise, agreement, or undertaking.
cry upTo praise highly; extol.

Idiom(s):
cry havocTo sound an alarm; warn.

Idiom(s):
cry (one's) eyes/heart outTo weep inconsolably for a long time.

Idiom(s):
cry on (someone's) shoulderTo tell one's problems to someone else in an attempt to gain sympathy or consolation.

Idiom(s):
cry over spilled milkTo regret in vain what cannot be undone or rectified.

Idiom(s):
cry wolfTo raise a false alarm.

Idiom(s):
for crying out loudUsed to express annoyance or astonishment: Let's get going, for crying out loud!

Idiom(s):
in full cryIn hot pursuit, as hounds hunting.

[Middle English crien, from Old French crier, from Vulgar Latin *critāre, from Latin quirītāre, to cry out, perhaps from Quirītēs, public officers to whom one would cry out in times of need.]
Synonyms: These verbs mean to make inarticulate sounds of grief, unhappiness, or pain. Cry and weep both involve the shedding of tears; cry more strongly implies accompanying sound: "She cried without trying to suppress any of the noisier manifestations of grief and confusion" (J. D. Salinger). "I weep for what I'm like when I'm alone" (Theodore Roethke).
Wail refers primarily to sustained, inarticulate mournful sound: "The women . . . began to wail together; they mourned with shrill cries" (Joseph Conrad).
Keen suggests wailing and lamentation for the dead: "It is the wild Irish women keening over their dead" (George A. Lawrence).
Whimper refers to low, plaintive, broken or repressed cries: The condemned prisoner cowered and began to whimper for clemency.
Sob describes weeping or a mixture of broken speech and weeping marked by convulsive breathing or gasping: "sobbing and crying, and wringing her hands as if her heart would break" (Laurence Sterne).
Blubber refers to noisy shedding of tears accompanied by broken or inarticulate speech: "When he drew out what had been a fiddle, crushed to morsels in the greatcoat, he blubbered aloud" (Emily Brontë).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

cry 
c.1225, from O.Fr. crier, from L. quiritare "to wail, shriek," var. of quirritare "to squeal like a pig," from *quis, echoic of squealing, despite ancient folk etymology that traces it to "call for the help of the Quirites," the Roman constabulary. The meaning was extended 13c. to weep, which it largely replaced by 16c. Most languages, like Eng., use the general word for "cry out, shout, wail" to also mean "weep, shed tears to express pain or grief." Romance and Slavic, however, use words for this whose ultimate meaning is "beat (the breast)," cf. Fr. pleurer, Sp. llorar, both from L. plorare "cry aloud," but probably originally plodere "beat, clap the hands." Also It. piangere (cognate with Fr. plaindre "lament, pity") from L. plangere, originally "beat," but especially of the breast, as a sign of grief. Crybaby is first recorded 1851, Amer.Eng. U.S. colloquial for crying out loud is 1924, probably another euphemism for for Christ's sake.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

cry off

Break or withdraw from a promise or agreement, as in We thought we'd bought the car, but the owner cried off at the last minute. [Late 1700s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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