cry out

phrasal verb

cried out; crying out; cries out

1

: to make a loud sound because of pain, fear, surprise, etc.

She cried out in pain.

2

: to speak in a loud voice : to say something loudly or from a distance

We could hear them on the shore crying out to us, so we waved.

She cried out for help.

3

—used to say that something clearly needs or should have a particular thing, person, use, etc.

—often + to be

A chair like this cries out to be used, not kept in some museum.

The meal cried out to be eaten with a nice white wine.

—often + for

The meal cried out for a nice white wine.

The job cries out for someone who's not afraid to take chances.

Examples of cry out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Carnifex The Webster, 31 Webster St., Hartford Something about the dog days of July just cries out for death metal. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2025

Hannah-Kim reportedly cried out from the pain, and then Kove began kissing her arm. —Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 1 July 2025

Jarek cries out in rage as my brother races toward me, slipping between the other Guardians. —Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025

With its massive debt load and facing structural headwinds, the new-look Paramount is crying out for a financier who understands the industry and is willing to stake his reputation on it. —John Hyatt, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025

Rhymes for cry out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout