| / English Dictionary |
CRYING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
Example:
she was in tears
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("crying" is a kind of...):
activity; bodily function; bodily process; body process (an organic process that takes place in the body)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "crying"):
snivel; sniveling (whining in a tearful manner)
sob; sobbing (convulsive gasp made while weeping)
bawling; wailing (loud cries made while weeping)
Derivation:
cry (shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain)
cry (bring into a particular state by crying)
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
Example:
rank treachery
Synonyms:
crying; egregious; flagrant; glaring; gross; rank
Classified under:
Similar:
conspicuous (obvious to the eye or mind)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Demanding attention
Example:
an instant need
Synonyms:
clamant; crying; exigent; insistent; instant
Classified under:
Similar:
imperative (requiring attention or action)
III. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb cry
Context examples:
Finally he took a wrong turn and ran a few steps past me, towards the hamlet, crying, “Johnny, Black Dog, Dirk,” and other names, “you won't leave old Pew, mates—not old Pew!”
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
At the sight of Mr. Utterson, the housemaid broke into hysterical whimpering; and the cook, crying out “Bless God! it’s Mr. Utterson,” ran forward as if to take him in her arms.
(The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
With such a reward for her tears, the child was too wise to cease crying.
(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)
I would have spared her, perhaps, for all my madness, but she threw her arms round him, crying out to him, and calling him ‘Alec.’
(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
In ran Mrs. Bennet to her daughter's room, in her dressing gown, and with her hair half finished, crying out: My dear Jane, make haste and hurry down.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
Afraid of everybody, ashamed of herself, and longing for the home she had left, she knew not how to look up, and could scarcely speak to be heard, or without crying.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
Regardless of which country they came from, mothers were likely to pick up and hold or talk to their crying infant.
(Study identifies brain patterns underlying mothers’ responses to infant cries, National Institutes of Health)
A question about whether an individual feels or felt like crying.
(Have You Felt Like Crying, NCI Thesaurus)
Signs of dehydration in babies and young children include a dry mouth and tongue, crying without tears, no wet diapers for 3 hours or more, a high fever and being unusually sleepy or drowsy.
(Dehydration, NIH)
A question about whether an individual has or had a low mood, sadness, depression, or easy crying.
(Have Low Mood, Sadness, or Depression, NCI Thesaurus)
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