Definition & Meaning of "cry"in English

to cry

VERB

to have tears coming from your eyes as a result of a strong emotion such as sadness, pain, or sorrow

Intransitive

Grammatical Information

Composition

Simple

Action verb

Regular

Present tense

cry

3rd person singular

cries

Present participle

crying

Past simple

cried

Past participle

cried

Examples

Despite his efforts to remain strong, he eventually broke down and cried in grief.

1.1

utter a sudden loud cry

Intransitive

Examples

As the pain intensified, he could n't help but cry out in agony.

to speak or call out in a loud, emotional tone

Transitive: to cry sth

Examples

" Watch out! " he cried as the car sped toward the crosswalk.

to call out the names of goods being sold in a loud voice to attract buyers

Transitive: to cry products or goods for sale

Examples

The vendor cried fresh apples and oranges to passersby in the busy market.

to produce a distinctive, loud call or sound, typical of a particular bird or animal

Intransitive

Examples

The eagle cried as it soared high above the cliffs.

to urgently call for action or attention

Intransitive: to cry for an action or response

Examples

The situation cried for immediate intervention to avoid further damage.

to react to something extremely funny, absurd, or moving; used in the progressive form

Slang

What does "to cry" mean in reaction slang?

In slang, especially in online speech, "to cry" is used in the progressive form ("crying") to express strong emotional reaction, usually extreme laughter, disbelief, or secondhand embarrassment. The structure is a semantic shift from literal crying, repurposed as hyperbolic shorthand for being overwhelmed by a reaction. It is informal internet slang commonly used in captions or replies to indicate something is very funny, absurd, or emotionally striking, not necessarily literal sadness.

Examples

He wore Crocs to prom — crying.

Cry

NOUN

a fit of weeping