cry out

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

The video showed that during the second time, the dog latched onto Evans’ left forearm and violently thrashed as Evans cried out in pain. —Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2026

The plot still cries out for a flow chart, but the powerhouse fusion of Michele, Tveit and Christopher, overcoming all obstacles, has made this production one of the seismic events of the Broadway season. —Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026

Lina cried out, stumbling backward. —Danielle Parker, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026

This will help increase creative control for creators – a change GoPro loyalists were crying out for years. —New Atlas, 16 Apr. 2026

Rhymes for cry out

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