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 streaming service has a knack for finding and elevating low-budget horror that doesn’t feel cheap, international titles crying out for a wider audience, and talented first-time filmmakers poised to break through. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025

Jones says that manufacturers, foreign or domestic, are simply crying out for certainty and clear policy directions. —IEEE Spectrum, 9 Oct. 2025

There’s certainly no doubt that currently, the market is crying out for innovative digital accessibility products more than ever due to an ever-tightening global regulatory framework. —Gus Alexiou, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

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, 17 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for cry out

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