cry
nounADJ.
great, loud | little, low, small | choked/choking, muffled, stifled, strangled | piercing, shrill | hoarse
the hoarse cry of a crow| agonized, anguished, bitter, despairing, desperate, plaintive, terrible | startled | involuntary | battle, rallying, war, warning | animal, bird
VERB + CRY
give, let out, raise, utter
She gave an agonized cry as they lifted the fallen branch from her leg. He was too weak to raise even the smallest of cries.| hear
CRY + VERB
go up
A cry went up when it was discovered their man had escaped.| escape
An involuntary cry escaped her as he entered the room.PREP.
with a ~
He fell to the ground with a cry.| ~ for
(figurative) Her suicide attempt was really a desperate cry for help.| ~ of
a cry of despair/delightADJ.
good | little
VERB + CRY
have
You'll feel better when you've had a good cry.cry
verbADV.
a lot | a little | almost, nearly | never, rarely | bitterly
He put his head on his arms and cried bitterly.| loudly | quietly, silently, softly | uncontrollably | alone
VERB + CRY
begin to, start to | make sb | leave sb to
children who are left to cry alonePREP.
about
What are you crying about?| for
a child crying for his mother| over
I wasn't going to waste time crying over him!| with
Anna was almost crying with frustration.PHRASES
cry like a baby
Finally he broke down and cried like a baby.| cry your eyes out, cry yourself to sleep, feel like crying
I felt like crying when I found out what had happened.| a shoulder to cry on
(figurative) He was a fatherly shoulder to cry on when things went wrong.ADV.
aloud, out | suddenly | angrily, indignantly
‘Never!’ he cried angrily.| despairingly, desperately | excitedly | passionately, wildly
VERB + CRY
want to
She wanted to cry out to him not to be so stupid.| hear sb
I heard her cry out in her sleep.PREP.
in
‘What do you mean?’ she cried in agitation. ‘Who's there?’ she cried in a shrill voice.PHRASES
cry for help
She cried for help as the fire spread.| cry out in anguish/fear/pain