cry

Everyday

1. To cry is to have tears come from your eyes because you are sad, hurt, or very happy. tree →
2. To cry (out) is to shout or call loudly. tree →
3. A cry is a loud sound of pain, fear or calling, or the sound of an animal or bird. tree →
4. A cry for help is a sign that someone needs help. tree →

In the lessons

In feelings lessons, crying is a normal way to show sadness or pain and it is okay for anyone to cry; comforting a crying friend is kind. In stories, «cried» can mean «said loudly»: «"Look out!" she cried». In nature, birds have calls and cries. Phrases: «cry for help», «a far cry from» (very different from), «cry wolf» (give false alarms — from the fable), «don't cry over spilt milk».

Examples

• The baby cried all night. tree →
• It's okay to cry when you are sad. tree →
• "Help!" he cried. tree →
• We heard the cry of a seagull. tree →
• She cried with happiness at the wedding. tree →
• If you cry wolf, nobody will believe you. tree →
• There's no use crying over spilt milk. tree →
• I heard a cry for help from the river. tree →
• "Where are you going?" cries Yegory. tree →

Note

Spelling: cries, cried (y → i), but crying keeps the y. In stories «cried» often just means «shouted». «Cry wolf» comes from the fable of the boy who lied about a wolf until no one believed him.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah a cry is often a call for help to God from people in trouble or suffering. In the Prophets and Writings it is also a prayer to God, as in "Hear my cry," and a loud cry of alarm over ruin, as in Jeremiah's cry from Horonaim.

Interpretation. God hears the cry of the oppressed, such as the Israelites in Egypt and the poor. Tradition says that a cry for justice never goes unheard. Tradition reads the psalms' cry as a form of prayer to be spoken from the heart.

Examples

• And the LORD said: 'Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous. (Torah GEN.18.20, JPS 1917) tree →
• If thou afflict them in any wise — for if they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry — (Torah EXO.22.23, JPS 1917) tree →
• And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them; for they said: 'Lest the earth swallow us up.' (Torah NUM.16.34, JPS 1917) tree →
• Now why dost thou cry out aloud? (Prophets MIC.4.9, JPS 1917) tree →
• Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. (Writings PSA.61.2, JPS 1917) tree →
• Hark! a cry from Horonaim, spoiling and great destruction! (Prophets JER.48.3, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Spelling: cries, cried (y → i), but crying keeps the y. In stories «cried» often just means «shouted». «Cry wolf» comes from the fable of the boy who lied about a wolf until no one believed him.