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

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

Holding back young Rio Ngumoha until the final quarter of the contest made little sense given that the hosts were crying out for an injection of pace and dynamism. —James Pearce, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026

Lina cried out, stumbling backward. —Danielle Parker, CBS News, 14 Apr. 2026

Dozens of people gathered outside the complex, along the campus lawn and into the street, including a trio of women crying out for the person sought by police to surrender. —Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 13 Apr. 2026

Rhymes for cry out

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