decry

play

verb de·cry \ di-ˈkrī , dē- \

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

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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

Both decried the idea of getting a vote behind them, or moving past health care reform without a successful bill.

— erica martinson, Alaska Dispatch News, "Murkowski, Sullivan hope for a path forward on failed healthcare bill," 19 July 2017
T.J. Smith, the Baltimore Police Department's chief spokesman, regularly holds news conferences decrying the violence that destroys lives nearly every day.

— luke broadwater, baltimoresun.com, "Baltimore police spokesman holds tearful press conference after brother's killing," 5 July 2017
A running battle over one New York City neighborhood’s name has gotten fresh attention in recent weeks as a chorus of politicians decried the spread of a not-so-new four-letter word: SoHa.

— melanie grayce west, WSJ, "‘SoHa’ Is a Renaissance Few in Harlem Want," 1 July 2017
In 2016, hundreds of homes were destroyed and more than 100,000 people were ordered to evacuate as officials decried the severe season as the new normal for California.

— jennifer calfas, Time, "California's Drought Is Over. But This Wildfire Season Will Still Be Severe," 29 June 2017
About 100 people gathered Monday evening in front of the federal courthouse in Mobile to show support for Obamacare and to decry the current Republican plan to replace it.

— lawrence specker, AL.com, "Mobile healthcare rally airs fears, calls on Strange and Shelby to listen," 26 June 2017
But Councilman Jeremy Rivas, D-2nd, decried the lack of transparency that's surrounded the plan.

— amy lavalley, Post-Tribune, "Porter commissioners mum on projects plan," 23 June 2017
Kennicott thus casts the 35th president as more of a college president, a leader who saw his role as rewarding excellence, and decrying mediocrity, in all departments, as distinct from actually enjoying the exhibits or the concerts.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "Which American presidents have most loved the arts?," 23 June 2017
Archeologists have decried the government’s overwhelming show of force against the militants, fearing their airstrikes and artillery fire could further damage the monuments.

— Washington Post, "IS blows up Mosul mosque, latest heritage site destroyed," 22 June 2017

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.