cry out

phrasal verb

cried out; crying out; cries out

: to make a loud sound because of pain, fear, surprise, etc.

She cried out in pain.

: to speak in a loud voice : to say something loudly or from a distance

We could hear them on the shore crying out to us, so we waved.

She cried out for help.

—used to say that something clearly needs or should have a particular thing, person, use, etc.

—often + to be

A chair like this cries out to be used, not kept in some museum.

The meal cried out to be eaten with a nice white wine.

—often + for

The meal cried out for a nice white wine.

The job cries out for someone who's not afraid to take chances.

Examples of cry out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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But the nation’s growing shortage of affordable housing – even for people with solid incomes and good credit scores – cries out for a solution. —

Bonner Russell Cohen, Orange County Register, 9 Jan. 2025 Jayne cried out, before Hill moved onto his next thing Cohen should do in the new year. —

Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 9 Jan. 2025 Meanwhile, video captured by NBC News' crew on the ground showed families across a tent encampment in Khan Younis trying to shovel and sweep dirty rainwater from their tents, while others gathered around a soup kitchen in the rain, holding out pots and pans and crying out for warm food. —

Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 3 Jan. 2025 Families cried out as a medic announced the names of victims identified by their fingerprints. —

John Bacon, USA TODAY, 29 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cry out