weep

verb \ ˈwēp \

Updated on: 14 May 2018

Definition of weep

wept play \ˈwept\; weeping

transitive verb

1 : to express deep sorrow for usually by shedding tears : bewail

weeping the sins and errors of his youth
—Edward Gibbon

2 : to pour forth (tears) from the eyes

3 : to exude (a fluid) slowly : ooze

a tree weeping sap

intransitive verb

1 : to express passion (such as grief) by shedding tears

2 a : to give off or leak fluid slowly : ooze

b of a fluid : to flow sluggishly or in drops

3 : to droop over : bend

See weep defined for English-language learners

See weep defined for kids

Examples of weep in a Sentence

He wept at the news of her death.
She sat down and wept.
He wept bitter tears of disappointment.
The meringue will weep if you put it in the fridge.

Recent Examples of weep from the Web

An Afghan man who lost his father in a 2016 attack targeting Shiite pilgrims weeps at the gate of Karte Sakhi shrine in Kabul.

— shah marai, CNN, "The Afghan photographer who dedicated his life to documenting a country fraught with war," 30 Apr. 2018
Lord Mountbatten’s death stunned the world but especially the royal family — in particular, Prince Charles, who thought of Mountbatten as a grandfather and wept at his funeral.

— michael s. rosenwald, Washington Post, "Beloved Lord Mountbatten was killed by terrorists. Now he’s a royal baby’s namesake.," 28 Apr. 2018
Family and friends of Aimee Giro, 26, let out gasps and wept at the verdict in the murder trial of Jovanni Torres in Lake Superior Court in Crown Point.

— becky jacobs, Post-Tribune, "Lake Station man found guilty of killing girlfriend, leaving body 'rotting inside that house'," 28 Apr. 2018
Other crowd members wept at how this had happened on the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.

— benjamin mueller and nate schweber, New York Times, "Police Fatally Shoot a Brooklyn Man After Falsely Believing He Had a Gun," 4 Apr. 2018
Many women wept openly at discovering community and sisterhood; at seeing the full range of others like themselves.

— bonnie j. morris, Smithsonian, "How Should We Archive the Soundtrack to 1970s Feminism?," 30 Mar. 2018
After eating a forkful of Silverton’s brioche tart with hot wine syrup, Child starts to weep.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Amazing, True Story of How Nancy Silverton Became a Living Food Legend," 26 Apr. 2018
There are people who, when Hillary Clinton becomes the first woman to be president of the United States, will weep from joy.

— constance grady, Vox, "Hillary Clinton and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talk censorship, feminism, and Pizzagate," 24 Apr. 2018
Some protesters gathered outside the hospital in Liverpool wept at the news of the appeals court’s decision.

— Washington Post, "UK court rules against parents who want treatment for son," 16 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of weep

Middle English wepen, from Old English wēpan; akin to Old High German wuoffan to weep, Serbian & Croatian vapiti to cry out

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

weep Synonyms

Synonyms

bawl, blubber, cry, sob;

Related Words

grieve, keen, lament, mourn;

howl, scream, squall, wail, yowl;

bleat, mewl, pule, whimper, whine;

sniffle, snivel;

groan, moan, sigh;

WEEP Defined for English Language Learners

weep

verb

Definition of weep for English Language Learners

: to cry because you are very sad or are feeling some other strong emotion
: to produce a liquid slowly

WEEP Defined for Kids

weep

verb \ ˈwēp \

Definition of weep for Students

wept \ˈwept\; weeping

: to shed tears : cry

Medical Dictionary

weep

verb \ ˈwēp \

medical Definition of weep

wept play \ˈwept\; weeping

transitive verb

1 : to pour forth (tears) from the eyes

2 : to exude (a fluid) slowly

intransitive verb

1 : to shed tears

2 : to exude a serous fluid

a weeping burn

Learn More about weep

See words that rhyme with weep Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for weep Spanish Central: Translation of weep Nglish: Translation of weep for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of weep for Arabic speakers

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weep

Definition of weep

Examples of weep in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of weep

weep Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

WEEP Defined for English Language Learners

weep

Definition of weep for English Language Learners

WEEP Defined for Kids

weep

Definition of weep for Students

Medical Dictionary

weep

medical Definition of weep

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