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

Harrowing footage circulating online shows his distraught father desperately searching among piles of bodies covered with black body bags, crying out for his missing son. —Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 27 Jan. 2026

The current system is fiscally unsustainable and cries out for taxpayer protections. —Editorial, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026

The novel, lightly plotted, didn’t cry out for a sequel, but Martin’s new Down Time (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) offers a continuation of sorts (in mood at least). —Chloe Schama, Vogue, 24 Jan. 2026

Hodges cried out in pain, and managed to shake the man off before his eye was permanently damaged. —Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for cry out

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