cry

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Loud call

Nouns

1. cry, shout, call (see

Verbs); vociferation, exclamation, outcry, hullabaloo, chorus, clamor, hue and cry; Bronx cheer; plaint (see lamentation); stentor (see loudness); bark, ululation. See speech, sound.

2. crier, street vendor, hawker (see sale), barker, herald.

Verbs — cry, roar, shout, bawl, bellow, halloo, halloa, whoop, yell, howl, give a cry, scream, screech, shriek, squeak, squeal, squall; whine, pule; pipe; bark, bay, bell, bellow, blat, bleat, boo, boom, bray, call, caw, cheep, chirp, chitter, clack, cluck, coo, cough, crack, croak, crow, gargle, gasp, gibber, giggle, gobble, grunt, gulp, gurgle, hawk, hem, hiss, huff, hum, lisp, mew, mewl, moo, neigh, oink, peep, puff, purr, quack, roll, scat, snap, sniffle, snuffle, squall, squawk, titter, twitter, ululate, wail, wheeze, whinny, yap, yelp, yip, yodel, yowl, zing; weep (see lamentation); cheer, hoot, shrill; snore, snort; vociferate, ejaculate; cry, call, or sing out, raise or lift up the voice, exclaim; strain the throat, voice, or lungs, rend the air, thunder, shout at the top of one's voice or lungs.

Adjectives — crying, clamant, clamorous; vociferous; stentorian (see loudness).

Antonyms, see silence.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [A loud utterance]

Syn. exclamation, shout, clamor, outcry, call, vociferation, scream, shriek, yell, whoop, yawp, squall, yammer, groan, moan, bellow, howl, wail, bawl, holler, uproar, acclamation, roar, battle cry, war cry, halloo, hurrah, hullabaloo, cheer, huzza; see also sense 2, noise 1 , 2 , yell 1 .

Ant. whisper*, murmur, silence.

2. [A characteristic call]

Syn. howl, hoot, wail, grunt, screech, mewling, bark, squawk, squeak, squeal, yelp, meow, whinny, neigh, bray, nicker, moo, bleat, chatter, bay, cluck, crow, whine, pipe, trill, twitter, tweet, quack, clack, cackle, caw, bellow, coo, whistle, gobble, hiss, growl, roar, shriek; see also yell 1 .

3. [A fit of weeping]

Syn. lamentation, lament, sobbing, weeping, bewailing, wailing, bawl, shedding tears, sorrowing, mourning, whimpering, ululation, plaint, the blues*; see also tears .

• a far cry (from),

Syn. unlike, dissimilar, remote; see different 1 .

v.

1. [To shed tears]

Syn. weep, sob, wail, whimper, snivel, blubber, moan, howl, keen, bawl, squall, lament, bewail, bemoan, whine, weep over, complain, deplore, sorrow, grieve, fret, groan, caterwaul, burst into tears, dissolve in tears, ululate, mewl, pule, sniffle, break down, choke up*, cry one's eyes out*, boohoo*, yammer*, take on*, give way to tears*, turn on the waterworks*; see also mourn 1 , regret .

Ant. rejoice, laugh*, exult.

2. [To raise the voice]

Syn. shout, scream, bellow; see yell .

3. [To call; said of other than human creatures ]

Syn. howl, bark, hoot, scream, screech, squawk, squeak, yelp, yap, grunt, roar, shriek, meow, whinny, neigh, bray, nicker, moo, bleat, snarl, chatter, bay, cluck, crow, whine, squeal, yowl, pipe, trill, coo, whistle, caw, bellow, quack, clack, gabble, hiss, growl, croak, cackle, twitter, tweet; see also sound 1 , yell .

Syn.- cry , in this comParison, implies the expression of grief, sorrow, pain, or distress by making mournful, convulsive sounds and shedding tears; weep more specifically stresses the shedding of tears; to sob is to weep aloud with a catch in the voice and short, gasping breaths; wail implies the uttering of loud, prolonged, mournful cries in unsuppressed lamentation; keen , specifically an Irish term, signifies a wailing in lamentation for the dead; to whimper is to cry with subdued, whining, broken sounds, as a fretful or frightened child does; moan suggests the expression of sorrow or pain in a low, prolonged, mournful sound or sounds; blubber , a derisive term used chiefly of children, implies a contorting or swelling of the face with weeping, and broken, inarticulate speech

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. weeping bawling, wailing, whimpering, sobbing, sniveling, blubbering, howling, bewailing, lament.

2. shout yell, exclamation, call, holler, outcry, utterance, scream, squawk, shriek, yelp, bellow.

3. pleading appeal, entreaty, supplication, imploration, plea, *cri de coeur, request, prayer.

II

v.

weep, bawl, wail, whimper, sob, snivel, squall, blubber, howl, burst into tears, break down, mewl, pule, *boohoo, moan, dissolve into tears, convulse with tears, choke up, shed tears, blink back tears.

WORD FIND

• body language: curls into a fetal position; clenching-lurching-knotting stomach; throat closing spastically; throat raw; swallows lump in throat; nostrils dilate; chest grows heavy; gulps air spastically; chokes; splutters; screws knuckles into eye sockets

• face: snarl of agony, grimace, scarlet, swollen, puffy, contorts grotesquely, twists in anguish, pouts, tremulous, bottom lip curls, eyes take on wounded look, features stricken, eyes transfixed with shock and grief, eyes brim with tears

• voice: quavers, cracks, shrill, constricts, rises hysterically, rises an octave, strangled, takes on a hitch, raw with agony, speaks in ragged bursts

see grieve, mourn, scream, tears

2. shout yell, exclaim, holler, call, utter, sing out, bellow, hail, crow, scream, yelp, vociferate, squawk

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I verb 1. To make inarticulate sounds of grief or pain, usually accompanied by tears: bawl, blubber, howl, keen2, sob, wail, weep, yowl. See HAPPY, SOUNDS. 2. To speak suddenly or sharply, as from surprise or emotion. Also used with out: blurt (out), burst out, ejaculate, exclaim, rap out. See WORDS. 3. To speak or say very loudly or with a shout: bawl, bellow, bluster, call, clamor, halloo, holler, roar, shout, vociferate, whoop, yawp, yell. See SOUNDS. 4. To make known vigorously the positive features of (a product). Also used with up: advertise, ballyhoo, build up, popularize, promote, publicize, talk up. Informal: pitch, plug. Slang: push. See KNOWLEDGE. II noun 1. A sudden, sharp utterance: ejaculation, exclamation, outcry. See WORDS. 2. A fit of crying: bawling, blubbering, sobbing, tear2 (used in plural), wailing, weeping. See SOUNDS. 3. The act of demanding: call, claim, demand, exaction, requisition. See REQUEST. 4. A rallying term used by proponents of a cause: battle cry, call to arms, call to battle, motto, rallying cry, war cry. See WORDS.