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

Bottles line the aisle like trophies filled with amber goodness, each one with a label crying out for your attention. —Hudson Lindenberger, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025

What's miraculous is that after Long's departure at the end of season 5, Cheers did not cry out last call and go home, but cast Kirstie Alley as Rebecca Howe, a different foil for Sam who was similar-but-different to just the right degree that the replacement was as good as the original. —Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 3 July 2025

This is a club crying out for a fresh start but Chansiri has refused to grant it. —Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 1 July 2025

For side sleepers, a bed that is too firm means your hips and shoulders will be crying out for help because of the tension. —Julia Forbes, Wired News, 27 June 2025

Rhymes for cry out

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