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

Noah cries out in panic in one scene previewed in the trailer. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 6 June 2025

Yet fields like career technical education, healthcare, renewable energy, IT, and apprenticeships are crying out for the skills teachers bring. —Nicholas Wyman, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

When the American people cry out for a president to save them from this invasion, and some district court judge in Manhattan or Los Angeles tries to shut it down? —Dominick Mastrangelo, The Hill, 30 May 2025

The odd moment of magic isn’t cutting it and the Brazilian public are crying out for a first World Cup title since 2002. —Joseph O'Sullivan, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025

Rhymes for cry out

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