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 The woman cried out for help, but no one answered initially. Kocha Olarn, CNN, 19 Sep. 2024 Neither quite satire nor thriller nor murder mystery, the film cries out for a sharper attack. Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2024 But many companies in a range of industries are crying out for a strategy rather than a plan. Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024 In essence, the victims lose their voice and cannot physically cry out or scream. Patricia Fersch, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cry out 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cry out.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near cry out

Cite this Entry

“Cry out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cry%20out. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

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