turn on the waterworks

idiom

informal
: to start crying especially in order to get sympathy from someone
kids who turn on the waterworks when they want attention

Examples of turn on the waterworks in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web When you are emotionally aroused, the brain can send signals to your tear ducts to turn on the waterworks. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2022 So dogs turn on the waterworks and their owners roll over. Karen Hopkin, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'turn on the waterworks.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near turn on the waterworks

Cite this Entry

“Turn on the waterworks.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turn%20on%20the%20waterworks. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!