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cry one's eyes out

 - 3 dictionary results

cry

  [krahy] verb, cried, cry⋅ing, noun, plural cries.
Use cry one's eyes out 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 one's eyes out
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 one's eyes out

Also, cry one's heart out. Weep inconsolably. For example, Wendy was so homesick that she was crying her eyes out, or At funerals Ruth always cries her heart out. [c. 1700]

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