50 Idioms for Crying Sentences & Sentences
Idioms for Crying
1. Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: To be upset about something that cannot be undone.
In a Sentence: There’s no use crying over spilled milk—just learn from the mistake.
Other Ways to Say: Regret the past, Dwell on mistakes.
2. Shed tears
Meaning: To cry or weep, often silently.
In a Sentence: The touching scene in the movie made me shed tears of joy.
Other Ways to Say: Cry, Weep.
3. Have a good cry
Meaning: To cry in order to feel better emotionally.
In a Sentence: After the breakup, she needed to have a good cry.
Other Ways to Say: Let it out, Release emotions.
4. Tear up
Meaning: To cry lightly or become teary-eyed.
In a Sentence: The touching speech at graduation made many parents tear up.
Other Ways to Say: Get emotional, Become teary.
5. Cry your heart out
Meaning: To cry intensely and deeply.
In a Sentence: She cried her heart out when her dog passed away.
Other Ways to Say: Sob heavily, Wail.
6. Burst into tears
Meaning: To suddenly start crying.
In a Sentence: The child burst into tears when he lost his toy.
Other Ways to Say: Start crying suddenly, Break down.
7. Waterworks
Meaning: An exaggerated or dramatic display of crying.
In a Sentence: As soon as she got scolded, the waterworks began.
Other Ways to Say: Fake crying, Dramatic sobbing.
8. Cry wolf
Meaning: To raise a false alarm or pretend to be in distress.
In a Sentence: He always cries wolf, so no one believed him when he was actually hurt.
Other Ways to Say: Fake an emergency, False alarm.
9. Tears of joy
Meaning: Crying out of happiness.
In a Sentence: She cried tears of joy when she reunited with her family.
Other Ways to Say: Happy crying, Emotional joy.
10. Bawl like a baby
Meaning: To cry loudly and uncontrollably.
In a Sentence: He bawled like a baby when his team lost the finals.
Other Ways to Say: Wail, Sob loudly.
11. Cry me a river
Meaning: A sarcastic expression implying someone is being overly emotional.
In a Sentence: Oh please, cry me a river—it’s not that serious.
Other Ways to Say: Stop whining, Don’t exaggerate.
12. Break down in tears
Meaning: To suddenly become overwhelmed and start crying.
In a Sentence: She broke down in tears after hearing the news.
Other Ways to Say: Collapse emotionally, Fall apart.
13. Cry on someone’s shoulder
Meaning: To seek comfort by sharing your sadness.
In a Sentence: He needed someone to cry on after the funeral.
Other Ways to Say: Seek comfort, Confide in someone.
14. Weep bitterly
Meaning: To cry with deep sorrow.
In a Sentence: She wept bitterly over the loss of her childhood home.
Other Ways to Say: Mourn, Sob painfully.
15. Choke up
Meaning: To feel too emotional to speak or act.
In a Sentence: He choked up while giving his farewell speech.
Other Ways to Say: Get emotional, Lose composure.
16. Crocodile tears
Meaning: Fake or insincere tears.
In a Sentence: She was only shedding crocodile tears to avoid punishment.
Other Ways to Say: Pretend to cry, Fake sorrow.
17. Boohoo
Meaning: An imitation or mocking of crying sounds.
In a Sentence: “Oh boohoo,” she said sarcastically when he complained again.
Other Ways to Say: Mock crying, Sarcastic sympathy.
18. In floods of tears
Meaning: Crying heavily and continuously.
In a Sentence: She left the room in floods of tears.
Other Ways to Say: Weeping uncontrollably, Sobbing heavily.
19. Have a meltdown
Meaning: An emotional breakdown, often involving crying.
In a Sentence: He had a meltdown after days of stress at work.
Other Ways to Say: Lose control, Break down.
20. Cry oneself to sleep
Meaning: To cry so much that one falls asleep.
In a Sentence: She cried herself to sleep after the argument.
Other Ways to Say: Weep until sleeping, Cry all night.
21. All choked up
Meaning: So emotional that you can’t speak.
In a Sentence: He was all choked up at his daughter’s wedding.
Other Ways to Say: Speechless with emotion, Teary-eyed.
22. Cry bloody murder
Meaning: To scream or cry very loudly.
In a Sentence: The toddler cried bloody murder when he fell.
Other Ways to Say: Scream loudly, Wail hysterically.
23. Fall apart
Meaning: To emotionally collapse.
In a Sentence: She fell apart when she heard the bad news.
Other Ways to Say: Break down, Lose it.
24. Cry buckets
Meaning: To cry a lot.
In a Sentence: He cried buckets after the heartbreaking ending.
Other Ways to Say: Cry excessively, Flood with tears.
25. Wail like a banshee
Meaning: To cry or scream loudly and eerily.
In a Sentence: The child wailed like a banshee after the injury.
Other Ways to Say: Scream in pain, Shriek loudly.
26. Cry me a river
Meaning: To express exaggerated sorrow or complaints.
In a Sentence: He kept whining about losing, and I just said, “Cry me a river.”
Other Ways to Say: Stop whining, Don’t be dramatic.
27. Drown in tears
Meaning: To cry excessively due to intense sadness.
In a Sentence: She was drowning in tears after hearing the tragic news.
Other Ways to Say: Sob uncontrollably, Cry heavily.
28. All cried out
Meaning: To have no more tears left after crying for a long time.
In a Sentence: After hours of weeping, I felt all cried out.
Other Ways to Say: Exhausted from crying, Tearless.
29. Eyes like waterfalls
Meaning: To cry continuously and heavily.
In a Sentence: The little girl had eyes like waterfalls after dropping her ice cream.
Other Ways to Say: Crying heavily, Weeping nonstop.
30. Cry oneself to sleep
Meaning: To cry so much that you fall asleep.
In a Sentence: She cried herself to sleep after the breakup.
Other Ways to Say: Sob into the night, Sleep in sorrow.
31. A face full of tears
Meaning: Having tears all over the face from crying.
In a Sentence: The child ran to his mom with a face full of tears.
Other Ways to Say: Tear-streaked face, Sobbing look.
32. Crying over nothing
Meaning: To cry without a serious reason.
In a Sentence: He was just tired and crying over nothing.
Other Ways to Say: Emotional outburst, Minor meltdown.
33. Cry in vain
Meaning: To cry without achieving anything or any change.
In a Sentence: She cried in vain, hoping he would come back.
Other Ways to Say: Cry uselessly, Weep without result.
34. Cry with joy
Meaning: To cry due to happiness.
In a Sentence: When she saw her family at the airport, she cried with joy.
Other Ways to Say: Happy tears, Tearful happiness.
35. Cry blood
Meaning: To experience extreme emotional or physical suffering.
In a Sentence: He cried blood over the loss of his best friend.
Other Ways to Say: Deep sorrow, Severe pain.
36. Bawl like a baby
Meaning: To cry loudly and uncontrollably like an infant.
In a Sentence: After hearing the bad news, he bawled like a baby.
Other Ways to Say: Wail, Sob loudly.
37. Sobbing mess
Meaning: Someone crying so hard they become completely emotional and disheveled.
In a Sentence: After the argument, she was a sobbing mess.
Other Ways to Say: Emotional wreck, Crying heap.
38. Cry your eyes out
Meaning: To cry intensely for a long time.
In a Sentence: She cried her eyes out after her dog passed away.
Other Ways to Say: Weep bitterly, Wail.
39. Cry in public
Meaning: To cry openly where others can see.
In a Sentence: He tried to hold back tears but ended up crying in public.
Other Ways to Say: Weep openly, Tear up outside.
40. Cry silently
Meaning: To cry without making any noise.
In a Sentence: She sat by the window crying silently.
Other Ways to Say: Mourn quietly, Weep softly.
41. Cry a river
Meaning: To shed a large amount of tears.
In a Sentence: You could cry a river with how much you’re weeping.
Other Ways to Say: Cry nonstop, Sob endlessly.
42. Cry foul
Meaning: To complain strongly or protest.
In a Sentence: Fans cried foul after the referee’s unfair decision.
Other Ways to Say: Object loudly, Protest.
43. Cry like there’s no tomorrow
Meaning: To cry extremely hard without holding back.
In a Sentence: She cried like there’s no tomorrow after hearing the verdict.
Other Ways to Say: Let it all out, Weep uncontrollably.
44. Cry in frustration
Meaning: To cry because of feeling stuck or angry.
In a Sentence: He cried in frustration after failing the test again.
Other Ways to Say: Weep out of anger, Break down.
45. Cry of despair
Meaning: A loud expression of hopelessness.
In a Sentence: A cry of despair echoed through the hall when she read the letter.
Other Ways to Say: Shout of agony, Wail of sorrow.
46. Cry until you’re numb
Meaning: To cry until you feel nothing anymore.
In a Sentence: She cried until she was numb, unable to feel anything.
Other Ways to Say: Emotional shutdown, Exhausted crying.
47. Cry in pain
Meaning: To cry due to physical or emotional pain.
In a Sentence: The boy cried in pain after falling off his bike.
Other Ways to Say: Wail in agony, Scream in hurt.
48. Cry bitter tears
Meaning: To cry with deep sadness and regret.
In a Sentence: She cried bitter tears for the words she couldn’t take back.
Other Ways to Say: Regretful sobbing, Tearful remorse.
49. Cry your heart out
Meaning: To cry very intensely, pouring out all emotions.
In a Sentence: After the funeral, she cried her heart out.
Other Ways to Say: Sob from the soul, Deep weeping.
50. Cry behind closed doors
Meaning: To cry privately, away from others.
In a Sentence: No one knew she was crying behind closed doors every night.
Other Ways to Say: Secretly weep, Private sorrow.
