cry for

cry for (someone or something)

1. To express a want or need through crying. I've been rocking the baby for an hour, but she's still crying for her mother. Hmm, sounds like she's hungry and crying for a bottle. After they've fallen and scraped a body part, most kids will cry for a parent to comfort them.

2. To be in need of something. My hair is just crying for a trim—it's been too long since my last trip to the salon. A: "Yikes, this bathroom is crying for a makeover." B: "What gave it away, the pink tile?" Don't you hear that awful squealing sound when you hit the brakes? Your car is literally crying for a tune-up!

3. To cry over someone's or something's departure or absence. Oh, don't cry for me—I'll be back home at the end of the semester. Stay with Lucy—I expect she'll start crying for her mother once the funeral service starts. The poor kid's been crying for her dad ever since he left for work.

4. To yell or call for someone or something. I cried for my dad as soon as I saw the flood in the basement. Do you hear that? Is someone crying for help? The bully told me I could cry for my mama all I wanted, but no one was coming to save me.

See also: cry, for

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

cry for someone or something

 

1. to weep for the absence or loss of someone or something. No need to cry for me. Take care of yourself. She cried for her lost cat.

2. to shout a demand for someone or something. She cried for help, but no one heard her. Tony cried for Walter, but he did not hear.

3. to cry or bawl, signaling the need or want for someone or something. (As done by a baby.) The baby cried for a bottle. Little Jimmy was crying for his mother.

See also: cry, for

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

cry for

Also, cry out for; have a crying need for. Be in urgent need of, as in This wall cries for a second coat of paint, or This car is crying out for a good washing, or There is a crying need for order in this house. The figurative use of cry for, literally meaning "implore" or "weep for," dates from the late 1500s, as does the use of crying for "demanding attention." The first variant, alluding to actually shouting out one's needs or desires, dates from the second half of the 1800s.

See also: cry, for

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.