decry

verb de·cry \ di-ˈkrī , dē- \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of decry

transitive verb

1 : to depreciate (something, such as a coin) officially or publicly

the king may at any time decry … any coin of the kingdom
—William Blackstone

2 : to express strong disapproval of

decry the emphasis on sex

… has decried the medical marijuana ballot initiative as being rife with loopholes.
—Dan Sweeney

—

decrier

play \-ˈkrī(-ə)r\ noun

See decry defined for English-language learners

See decry defined for kids

decry was our Word of the Day on 03/16/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of decry in a Sentence

In her article, she decries the pollution of the environment by manufacturers.
Violence on television is generally decried as harmful to children.

Recent Examples of decry from the Web

Arizona basketball coach Sean Miller met with the media Thursday to decry an ESPN report that linked him with potential payments to a recruit.

— bruce pascoe, azcentral, "Opportunity awaits Arizona Wildcats' new combo guard Devonaire Doutrive," 9 Apr. 2018
Locally, Pagliarulo endorsed Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood, a Democrat who had appeared on a past show to decry the alleged threat of sharia law in the United States.

— john tedesco, San Antonio Express-News, "‘Joe Pags Show’ in the national spotlight after Ted Nugent interview," 6 Apr. 2018
Supporters say that their efforts have been invigorated by the demonstrations in Washington and across the country over the weekend to decry gun violence, which were motivated by the deadly mass shooting last month at a Florida high school.

— rick rojas, New York Times, "New Jersey’s Gun Laws, Already Tough, Could Soon Get Tougher," 26 Mar. 2018
Some are saluting her as such, as if to counteract the countless observers decrying her as untrustworthy and desperate for the spotlight.

— hayley macmillen, Allure, "Fixating on Stormy Daniels's Porn Career Is Just One More Way to Silence Her Voice," 26 Mar. 2018
One response to this would be to decry the technological change that has made such overfishing possible.

— The Economist, "Sing a song of sonar," 10 Mar. 2018
The walkouts kicked off on March 5, 1968, when students began protesting at Garfield High School, and spread to other campuses to decry the shortcomings of public schools in Los Angeles' barrios.

— benjamin oreskes, latimes.com, "Essential California: One town's experience with a border barrier," 9 Mar. 2018
Law enforcement officials have decried the security protections in iPhones and other handsets, but Apple and rights advocates argue every individual has a right to privacy.

— don reisinger, Fortune, "A Former Apple Security Engineer's Company Will Unlock Your iPhone X—for $15,000," 6 Mar. 2018
The last two Kings’ games were blocked by protesters who descended on the downtown arena to decry the fact that yet another unarmed black person was struck down by police who are now being paid to sit behind desks.

— angela helm, The Root, "Matt Barnes Announces Scholarships for #StephonClark’s Sons at Sacramento Rally," 31 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'decry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of decry

borrowed from French décrier "to discredit, depreciate," going back to Middle French descrier (15th century), from des- de- + crier "to ¹cry"

Note: A supposed 13th-century French usage of descrier in the sense "to announce (the depreciation or suppression of a currency)," mentioned without citation in the Französisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, has never been found and should probably be disregarded. See also note at ¹descry.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1614

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year