[cry] vb cried ; cry.ing [ME crien, fr. OF crier, fr. L quiritare to make a public outcry, perh. fr. Quirit-, Quiris, name for the Roman citizen] vt (13c) 1: to utter loudly: shout
2. archaic: beg, beseech
3: to proclaim publicly: advertise "~ their wares" ~ vi 1: to call loudly: shout
2: to shed tears often noisily: weep, sob
3: to utter a characteristic sound or call
4: to require or suggest strongly a remedy or disposition "a hundred things which ~ out for planning --Roger Burlingame" -- cry havoc : to sound an alarm -- cry over spilled milk : to express vain regrets for what cannot be recovered or undone -- cry wolf : to give alarm unnecessarily
[2]cry n, pl cries (13c) 1: an instance of crying: as a: an inarticulate utterance of distress, rage, or pain b obs: outcry, clamor
2. a obs: proclamation b pl, Scot: banns
3: entreaty, appeal
4: a loud shout
5: watchword, slogan
6. a: common report b: a general opinion 7: the public voice raised in protest or approval 8: a fit of weeping 9: the characteristic sound or call of an animal
10. a: a pack of hounds b: pursuit--used in the phrase in full cry 11: distance--usu. used in the phrase a far cry