Welcome to our post about idioms that involve crying! Idioms are phrases that mean something different from the individual words. Today, we’ll explore some common “cry” idioms, explain what they mean, and show you how to use them in sentences.
Cry Idioms
Here are 20 cry idioms in English with meaning and example sentence for each.
1. Cry over spilt milk
Meaning: Complain about something that cannot be fixed
Example: He lost the game, but there’s no need to cry over spilt milk.
2. Cry wolf
Meaning: Give a false alarm
Example: She cried wolf too often, now nobody believes her.
3. Cry the blues
Meaning: Express sadness or depression
Example: After losing his job, he cried the blues all day.
4. Cry me a river
Meaning: Overreact with tears to a situation
Example: Oh, you missed the concert? Cry me a river.
5. Cry your eyes out
Meaning: Cry excessively
Example: She cried her eyes out at the end of the movie.
6. Cry your heart out
Meaning: Cry very deeply and intensely
Example: He cried his heart out when he moved away.
7. Cry foul
Meaning: Protest strongly about a perceived wrong
Example: They cried foul over the unfair decision.
8. Cry for the moon
Meaning: Want something impossible
Example: She’s crying for the moon wanting that rare book.
9. Cry of distress
Meaning: An urgent appeal for help
Example: He heard a cry of distress from the woods.
10. Have a good cry
Meaning: Cry to relieve oneself of sadness
Example: Sometimes, having a good cry really helps.
11. Cry oneself to sleep
Meaning: Cry until you fall asleep
Example: She often cried herself to sleep at night.
12. No use crying over spilt milk
Meaning: It’s useless to be upset over past mistakes
Example: He missed the flight, but it’s no use crying over spilt milk.
13. Cry in your beer
Meaning: Complain often about misfortune
Example: Stop crying in your beer and do something about it.
14. Cry havoc
Meaning: Call for destruction or chaos
Example: The villain cried havoc upon the village.
15. Not worth crying over
Meaning: Not important enough to get upset about
Example: This small error is not worth crying over.
16. Cry up
Meaning: Praise or extol
Example: He’s always crying up his own achievements.
17. Cry it out
Meaning: Resolve an emotional issue by crying
Example: Sometimes, you just need to cry it out.
18. A far cry from
Meaning: Very different from
Example: His new house is a far cry from his old apartment.
19. Cry like a baby
Meaning: Cry loudly and uncontrollably
Example: He cried like a baby during the speech.
20. Cry for help
Meaning: An urgent appeal for assistance
Example: The message was a clear cry for help.
