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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.

If that’s not a cry for help, I don’t know what is.

From Slate • Jan. 27, 2026

“A cry for help from millions of people went unanswered,” Suárez said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

Do not cry for Kelly, he can sleep gently on a thick mattress of $100 bills.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 27, 2025

Online ravings about “tiger blood” and “winning!” earned him a Live Nation tour with a cry for help as its title: “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option.”

From Salon • Sep. 12, 2025

Poseidon heard her cry for help, loved her and saved her from the satyr.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

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.