weepweep /wiːp/ ●●○ verb (past tense and past participle wept /wept/) 
Word Origin Examples
James broke down and wept.weep for She wept for the loss of her mother. He wept bitterly (=cried a lot) when it was time for us to leave.► see thesaurus at cryRegisterIn everyday English, people usually say cry rather than weep:· She was crying all the way through the movie.2I could have wept spoken used to say that you felt very disappointed about something: I could have wept thinking what I’d missed.3[intransitive] if a wound weeps, liquid comes out of it—weep noun [singular]COLLOCATIONSadverbsopenly· Some of the mourners wept openly.bitterly (=crying hard)· I heard the sound of a woman weeping bitterly.quietly/silently· He was weeping quietly, allowing the tears to run down his cheeks.nounsweep tears· She wept bitter tears of self-reproach.weep buckets informal (=produce a lot of tears)· I didn’t know if she would get well, and I wept buckets every night.phrasesbreak down and weep (=start crying)· As she watched his plane taxi away, she broke down and wept.weep and wail (=cry and make loud sad noises – often used humorously)· The baby wept and wailed all the way through the ceremony.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINweep
Verb TableOrigin:
Old English wepanVERB TABLE
weep
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | weep |
| he, she, it | weeps | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | wept |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have wept |
| he, she, it | has wept | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had wept |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will weep |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have wept |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am weeping |
| he, she, it | is weeping | |
| you, we, they | are weeping | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was weeping |
| you, we, they | were weeping | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been weeping |
| he, she, it | has been weeping | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been weeping |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be weeping |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been weeping |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- His mother wept bitterly and his father sat grim-faced.
- I remember weeping with pride when my first son was born.
- Jesus wept.
- She sat beside her dying father and wept.
- Thousands of French citizens, many weeping openly, bade a silent farewell to Mitterand.
- And then she dipped her head, closed her eyes, and wept.
- But all these alternatives can carry a price more damaging than weeping.
- He left the room and in his bed he wept with a violence he had never known before, spasm following spasm.
- How I would wake weeping, and in the anguish of my heart exclaim upon sweet Calne in Wiltshire!
- People from all walks of life are involved, and they are weeping in the streets.
- They wept, so great was their desire to stay, tasting for ever the honey-sweet flowers.
- They surrounded Odysseus, weeping and laughing and welcoming him home until they stirred within his own heart the desire to weep.
THESAURUS► cry
Collocations to produce tears from your eyes: · Don’t cry – everything will be all right!· Men aren’t supposed to cry.
► cry your eyes out especially spoken to cry a lot and for a long time: · I cried my eyes out when I watched ‘Titanic’.
► be in tears to be crying: · By the end of his story, we were all in tears.
► be close to tears to be almost crying: · You could see that she was close to tears.
► weep literary to cry, especially for a long time: · His mother put her head on the table and wept.
► sob to cry, taking sudden loud breaths: · I could hear someone sobbing in the next room.
► wail to cry very loudly in a high voice: · The baby started wailing for its mother.
► whimper to cry quietly and weakly: · She began rocking to and fro, whimpering softly.
► hold/fight back the tears to make a big effort not to cry: · She told her story, struggling to hold back the tears.
► your eyes water if your eyes water, they have tears in them, for example because of smoke, wind, or when you are cutting onions: · The onions were making my eyes water.
Longman Language Activatorto cry► cry if you cry , tears come from your eyes, for example because you are sad or upset, or because you have hurt yourself: · I could hear the baby crying in the next room.· Kim's eyes were red and she looked as though she'd been crying.· Don't cry, I didn't mean to upset you.cry about: · Jenny won't tell me what she's crying about.make somebody cry: · The film was so sad, it made me cry.cry and cry (=cry for a long time): · I sat alone in my room and cried and cried.cry your eyes out (=cry a lot because you are very upset): · The poor kid's so miserable, he's upstairs crying his eyes out.cry with happiness/joy/relief etc: · She cried with joy when she heard that the children were safe.cry yourself to sleep (=cry until you fall asleep): · At night I'd cry myself to sleep, thinking about you.
► weep especially written to cry quietly and for a long time because you are very sad or you feel a strong emotion: · She sat beside her dying father and wept.weep openly (=without trying to stop or hide it): · Thousands of French citizens, many weeping openly, bade a silent farewell to Mitterand.weep with emotion/grief/joy etc: · I remember weeping with pride when my first son was born.weep bitterly (=cry strongly): · His mother wept bitterly and his father sat grim-faced.
► sob if you sob , you cry noisily and your body shakes, because you are very sad or because someone has upset you: · The sound of her sobbing kept them awake all night.· "Please don't leave me," he sobbed.· The child covered her face with her hands and started to sob uncontrollably.
► bawl to cry loudly - use this especially about young children or people you do not have any sympathy for: · "Stop, bawling," Dad said crossly, "and come over here."· The baby was sitting in his high chair, red in the face and bawling.
► snivel/sniffle to cry in a weak, complaining way and at the same time breathe in air noisily through your nose: · "What are you snivelling about, Jake?'· She kept sniffling into her handkerchief and saying how unfair everything was.
► whimper to make a quiet, continuous, unhappy sound like an animal in pain, or to say something with this sound in your voice: · 'I'm sorry,' she whimpered, but Richard wasn't listening.whimper with: · Pat whimpered with the pain of the bullet wound in his shoulder.
► be in tears crying because someone has upset you, or because something is very sad: · Everyone started to laugh and Frank ran out of the room in tears.· Most of us were in tears by the time he'd finished his story.
► your eyes water if your eyes water , you have tears in your eyes, usually because of something such as wind or smoke going into them: · Jo's eyes were watering from the smoke that filled the room.make your eyes water: · An icy wind blew into my face, making my eyes water.
► tears drops of water that come from your eyes when you are crying - this is often used to represent the idea of crying: · Grandpa wiped the tears from his eyes.have tears in your eyes/with tears in your eyes (=be nearly crying): · Yusuf had tears in his eyes, and I knew he was thinking of home.· She turned to me with tears in her eyes and begged me to help her.tears roll/run down somebody's cheeks (=someone cries a lot): · He stood silently, tears rolling down his cheeks, while the music played.· Mum showed us the letter with tears running down her cheeks.be close to tears (=almost crying): · Howell was close to tears as he told the court what had happened.·
WORD SETS► Illness & Disabilityabscess, nounache, verbache, nounacne, nounagoraphobia, nounagoraphobic, nounague, noun-aholic, suffixAIDS, nounailment, nounairsick, adjectivealbino, nounalcoholic, nounalcoholism, nounallergic, adjectiveallergy, nounamnesia, nounamputee, nounanaemia, nounanaemic, adjectiveangina, nounanorexia, nounanorexic, adjectiveantacid, nounanthrax, nounantibody, nounantidepressant, nounantidote, nounantigen, nounantihistamine, nounanti-inflammatory, adjectiveantitoxin, nounapoplectic, adjectiveapoplexy, nounappendicitis, nounarteriosclerosis, nounarthritis, nounaseptic, adjectiveaspirin, nounasthma, nounastigmatism, nounasymptomatic, adjectiveathlete's foot, nounatrophy, verbauto-immune disease, nounAyurvedic medicine, nounbaby blues, nounbacillus, nounbackache, nounbark, verbbattle fatigue, nounBCG, nounbedridden, adjectivebedsore, nounbed-wetting, nounbellyache, nounbenign, adjectiveberiberi, nounbespectacled, adjectivebetter, adjectivebilious, adjectivebinge, verbbiopsy, nounbirthmark, nounbite, verbbite, nounblack and blue, adjectiveBlack Death, the, black eye, nounblackout, nounbleed, verbbleeding, nounblind, verbblister, nounblister, verbblood bank, nounblood donor, nounblood poisoning, nounbloodshot, adjectiveblood transfusion, nounbloody, adjectivebloody, verbblue baby, nounboil, nounbotulism, nounbrain damage, nounbreakdown, nounbronchitis, nounbruise, nounbruise, verbBSE, nounbubonic plague, nounbug, nounbulimia, nounbump, nounbunion, nounbuzz, verbcalloused, adjectivecallus, nouncancer, nouncandida, nouncanker, nouncarbuncle, nouncarcinogen, nouncarcinogenic, adjectivecarcinoma, nouncardiac, adjectivecardiovascular, adjectivecaries, nouncarpal tunnel syndrome, nouncarrier, nouncarry, verbcarsick, adjectivecast, nouncasualty, nouncataract, nouncatarrh, nouncatatonic, adjectivecatching, adjectivecauliflower ear, nouncerebral palsy, nouncertify, verbcervical smear, nounchapped, adjectivecharley horse, nounchemotherapy, nounchesty, adjectivechicken pox, nounchilblains, nounChinese medicine, nouncholera, nounchronic, adjectivecirrhosis, nounCJD, nouncleanse, verbcleft palate, nounclinic, nounclinical, adjectiveclub foot, nouncold, nouncold sore, nouncolic, nouncolitis, nouncollapse, verbcolour-blind, adjectivecoma, nouncommon cold, nouncommon denominator, nouncommunicate, verbcomplaint, nouncomplicate, verbcomplication, nouncompound fracture, nounconcuss, verbconcussion, nouncondition, nouncongenital, adjectivecongested, adjectiveconjunctivitis, nounconstipation, nounconsumption, nounconsumptive, nouncontagion, nouncontagious, adjectivecontinent, adjectivecontract, verbcontusion, nounconvalesce, verbconvulsion, nouncorn, nouncortisone, nouncot death, nouncough, nounCPR, nouncrack-up, nouncramp, nounCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease, nouncrick, nouncrick, verbcripple, nouncripple, verbcross-eyed, adjectivecroup, nouncurable, adjectivecut, nouncyst, nouncystic fibrosis, nouncystitis, noundecompression sickness, noundeep vein thrombosis, noundeformity, noundegenerative, adjectivedehydrate, verbdelirious, adjectivedelirium, noundelusion, noundementia, noundengue fever, noundepression, noundermatitis, noundiabetes, noundiabetic, adjectivediabetic, noundiagnosis, noundialysis, noundiaper rash, noundiarrhoea, noundiphtheria, noundisability, noundisable, verbdisabled, adjectivedischarge, verbdisease, noundisgorge, verbdislocate, verbdisorder, noundissipated, adjectivedissipation, noundistemper, noundistend, verbdizzy, adjectivedoddering, adjectivedoddery, adjectivedonate, verbdonor, noundouble vision, noundoughy, adjectivedown, adverbDown's syndrome, noundrawn, adjectivedressing, noundrinker, noundrunk, adjectivedrunk, noundrunken, adjectivedull, adjectivedumb, adjectiveDVT, noundysentery, noundyslexia, noundyspepsia, noundyspeptic, adjectiveearache, nouneating disorder, nounEbola, nounectopic pregnancy, nouneczema, nounemaciated, adjectiveemasculate, verbembolism, nounemphysema, nounencephalitis, nounendoscope, nounenervate, verbenteritis, nounepidemic, nounepilepsy, nounepileptic, adjectiveepileptic, nounetiology, nounexcruciating, adjectiveexposure, nouneyeless, adjectiveeye strain, nounfail, verbfaint, nounfester, verbfever, nounfever blister, nounfevered, adjectivefeverish, adjectivefirst aid, nounfit, nounflat feet, nounflat-footed, adjectiveflu, nounfood poisoning, nounfoot and mouth disease, nounfracture, verbfracture, nounfrostbite, noungall, noungammy, adjectiveganglion, noungangrene, noungas, noungash, noungastric, adjectivegastritis, noungastroenteritis, nounGerman measles, nounget, verbgingivitis, nounglandular fever, nounglaucoma, noungnarled, adjectivegonorrhea, noungout, noungrand mal, noungraze, verbgraze, noungriping, adjectivegroggy, adjectivegrowing pains, noungrowth, noungush, verbgynaecology, nounhacking cough, nounhaemophilia, nounhaemophiliac, nounhaemorrhage, nounhaemorrhage, verbhaemorrhoids, nounhalitosis, nounhandicap, nounhandicapped, adjectivehangover, nounhard of hearing, adjectiveharelip, nounhay fever, nounheadache, nounhealth, nounheart attack, nounheartburn, nounheart disease, nounheart failure, nounheat exhaustion, nounheat rash, nounheatstroke, nounheave, verbhepatitis, nounhernia, nounherpes, nounHIV, nounhormone replacement therapy, nounhospital, nounhospitalize, verbhot flush, nounhousebound, adjectiveHRT, nounhump, nounhumpback, nounhunchback, nounhungover, adjectivehydrophobia, nounhypertension, nounhypothermia, nounhysterectomy, nounhysteria, nounhysterical, adjectiveillness, nounimmune, adjectiveimmune system, nounimmunity, nounimmunize, verbimmunology, nounimpacted, adjectiveimpediment, nounimpetigo, nounimpotent, adjectiveincision, nounincontinent, adjectiveincubate, verbincurable, adjectiveindigestion, nounindisposed, adjectiveindisposition, nouninfantile, adjectiveinfantile paralysis, nouninfect, verbinfected, adjectiveinfection, nouninfectious, adjectiveinfirmity, nouninflammation, nouninflammatory, adjectiveinfluenza, nouninfusion, nouningrowing, adjectiveinoculate, verbinoperable, adjectiveinsane, adjectiveinsanity, nouninsomnia, nouninsomniac, nouninstability, nounintensive care, nounintravenous, adjectiveinvalid, nouninvalidity, nouninvasive, adjectiveirregular, adjectiveirritable bowel syndrome, nounirritant, nounirritate, verbirritated, adjectiveirritation, noun-ism, suffixisolation, nounjaundice, nounjaundiced, adjectivejet lag, nounknock-kneed, adjectiveknotted, adjectivelaceration, nounlaryngitis, nounlegionnaire's disease, nounleper, nounleprosy, nounlesion, nounleukemia, nounlisp, nounlisteria, nounliverish, adjectivelockjaw, nounlong-sighted, adjectiveloose, adjectivelozenge, nounlumbago, nounlunacy, nounLyme disease, nounmad cow disease, nounmalady, nounmalaise, nounmalaria, nounmalformation, nounmalignancy, nounmalignant, adjectivemalnourished, adjectivemalnutrition, nounmange, nounmangy, adjectivemania, nounmanic, adjectivemanic depression, nounmastitis, nounME, nounmeasles, nounmedicinal, adjectivemegalomania, nounmegalomaniac, nounmelancholia, nounmelancholic, adjectivemelanoma, nounmend, verbmeningitis, nounmentally handicapped, adjectivemigraine, nounmild, adjectivemiscarriage, nounmole, nounmongol, nounmono, nounmononucleosis, nounmorbid, adjectivemorning sickness, nounmoron, nounmotion sickness, nounmotor neurone disease, nounMRI, nounMRSA, nounMS, nounmultiple sclerosis, nounmumps, nounmurmur, nounmusclebound, adjectivemuscular dystrophy, nounmute, adjectivemute, nounmyopia, nounmyopic, adjectivemyxomatosis, nounnarcolepsy, nounnausea, nounnauseate, verbnauseous, adjectivenearsighted, adjectivenervous breakdown, nounnettle rash, nounneuralgia, nounneurosis, nounneurotic, adjectivenosebleed, nounnotifiable, adjectiveNSU, nounobesity, nounoff-colour, adjectiveoperate, verboperation, nounophthalmic, adjectiveophthalmology, noun-osis, suffixosteoarthritis, nounosteopathy, nounosteoporosis, nounoutpatient, nounoverbite, nounpacemaker, nounpaediatrics, nounpale, adjectivepallid, adjectivepallor, nounpalpitate, verbpalpitations, nounpalsy, nounpandemic, nounparalyse, verbparalysed, adjectiveparalysis, nounparalytic, adjectiveparalytic, nounparanoia, nounparaplegia, nounparaplegic, nounparasitic, adjectiveParkinson's disease, nounparoxysm, nounpasty, adjectivepasty-faced, adjectivepathogen, nounpathological, adjectivepathology, nounpeaked, adjectivepeaky, adjectivepellagra, nounpeptic ulcer, nounperforated, adjectiveperiod pain, nounperitonitis, nounpernicious anaemia, nounpersecution complex, nounpestilence, nounpestilential, adjectivepetit mal, nounpharyngitis, nounphlebitis, nounphlegm, noun-phobic, suffixphysiotherapy, nounpigeon-toed, adjectivepins and needles, nounplacebo, nounplague, nounplaque, nounplaster cast, nounpleurisy, nounPMS, nounPMT, nounpneumonia, nounpockmark, nounpockmarked, adjectivepoisoning, nounpolio, nounpolyp, nounpoor, adjectivepost-traumatic stress disorder, nounpremenstrual tension, nounprescribe, verbprescription, nounpreventive medicine, nounprickle, verbprickly heat, nounprognosis, nounprolapse, nounprophylactic, adjectiveprophylactic, nounprophylaxis, nounpsoriasis, nounpsychopath, nounpsychosis, nounpsychosomatic, adjectivepsychotic, adjectivepuffy, adjectivepull, verbpurulent, adjectivepus, nounpustule, nounqueasy, adjectiverabid, adjectiverabies, nounradiation sickness, nounradiography, nounrash, nounraw, adjectivereact, verbreaction, nounreceive, verbrecuperate, verbrecuperative, adjectiveregurgitate, verbrelapse, verbremission, nounrepetitive strain injury, nounresistance, nounrespond, verbretch, verbRhesus factor, nounrheumatic, adjectiverheumatic fever, nounrheumatism, nounrheumatoid arthritis, nounrickets, nounringworm, nounRSI, nounrubella, nounrun-down, adjectiverunny, adjectiverupture, nounsaddle-sore, adjectivesalmonella, nounscab, nounscabby, adjectivescabies, nounscald, verbscald, nounscaly, adjectivescar, nounscar, verbscarlet fever, nounschizophrenia, nounsciatica, nounsclerosis, nounscrape, verbscrape, nounscratch, nounscurvy, nounseasick, adjectiveseizure, nounself-examination, nounsenile, adjectivesenile dementia, nounsenseless, adjectivesepsis, nounseptic, adjectivesepticaemia, nounserum, nounset, verbsexually transmitted disease, nounshell shock, nounshell-shocked, adjectiveshingles, nounshock, nounshort-sighted, adjectivesickle-cell anaemia, nounsickly, adjectivesickness, nounside effect, nounsightless, adjectivesimple fracture, nounsleeping sickness, nounslipped disc, nounsmallpox, nounsnakebite, nounsnow blindness, nounsore, adjectivesore, nounspastic, adjectivespecial needs, nounspecimen, nounspina bifida, nounsprain, verbsputum, nounsquint, verbsquint, nounstammer, nounstarvation, nounstarve, verbSTD, nounstomachache, nounstone, nounstrain, nounstrain, verbstrangulated, adjectivestrep throat, nounstroke, nounsty, nounsuccumb, verbsufferer, nounsunstroke, nounsuperbug, nounsurgical, adjectiveswelling, nounswollen, adjectivesymptom, nounsymptomatic, adjectivesyndrome, nounsyphilis, nounTB, nountear, verbtetanus, nountherapeutic, adjectivetherapy, nounthrombosis, nounthrush, nountic, nountight, adjectivetingle, verbtinnitus, nountipsy, adjectivetonsillitis, nountoothache, nountorment, nountourniquet, nountoxaemia, nountoxic shock syndrome, nountraction, nountransfusion, nountrauma, nountravel sickness, nountreatment, nountremor, nountuberculosis, nountumour, nountunnel vision, nountwinge, nountwitch, nountyphoid, nountyphus, nounulcer, nounulcerate, verbultrasound, noununderweight, adjectiveundressed, adjectiveunhealthy, adjectiveuntreated, adjectivevaccinate, verbvaccine, nounvaricose veins, nounVD, nounvenereal disease, nounverruca, nounvertigo, nounviral, adjectivevirology, nounvirulent, adjectivevomit, verbvomit, nounwart, nounweak, adjectiveweal, nounweep, verbwheeze, verbwheeze, nounwheezy, adjectivewhiplash, nounwhooping cough, nounwind, nounwithered, adjectivewound, nounwrench, verbwriter's cramp, nounyaws, nounyeast infection, nounyellow fever, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadverbs► openly
Phrases· Some of the mourners wept openly.
► bitterly (=crying hard)· I heard the sound of a woman weeping bitterly.
► quietly/silently· He was weeping quietly, allowing the tears to run down his cheeks.
nouns► weep tears· She wept bitter tears of self-reproach.
► weep buckets informal (=produce a lot of tears)· I didn’t know if she would get well, and I wept buckets every night.
phrases► break down and weep (=start crying)· As she watched his plane taxi away, she broke down and wept.
► weep and wail (=cry and make loud sad noises – often used humorously)· The baby wept and wailed all the way through the ceremony.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► shed/weep tears (=cry)· Don’t shed any tears for him.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► again· Mrs. Butler brought in the tea, and raised her eyes to heaven when she saw Jenny weeping again.· He left his cup of coffee to grow cold, and then began weeping again.
► bitterly· Ana had wept bitterly and Mitch had stated quite categorically that he would be back.· According to Leopold, young Thomas wept bitterly when the time came to part.· I was weeping bitterly for most of the time.
► openly· Many of them wept openly as his favourite music was played to the congregation.· Some in the crowd wept openly.· By the time she had finished, most of us were openly weeping with her, and the web was half finished.· Mrs Kershaw was now weeping openly without the formality of a handkerchief.· They weep openly and harrowingly, unlike middle-class parents who are seldom willing to appear, seeing their grief as more private.· The husband open-mouthed, the wife weeping openly.· Louis wept openly and could not be comforted.· He recalled the immense joy the news had brought him, and how he had wept openly and bitterly.
► over· Moreover, Avitus of Vienne in a letter to Gundobad describes him as weeping over the deaths of his brothers.· I do not weep over its loss.· And a man with bandaged fingers and a blue complexion weeping over it.· I wept over that of course, for a world where some people might doubt her - my - cleanliness.
► quietly· He was weeping quietly, allowing the tears to run down his cheeks and drip into the dusty shadows around his feet.· In the witness room, the adult daughter of one of his victims wept quietly, as did one of his attorneys.· Often he found her quietly weeping, but they were never tears of accusation; only tears of regret.· A woman wept quietly, while a child at her side screamed in terror.
NOUN► hand· Tom put his face in his hands and wept.
► man· Bishop Jon, a warm-hearted man, had been weeping, and even Eochaid, remembering, found himself moved near to tears.· Grown men wept in bars and shouted at outsiders to get lost.· The young man was weeping, too.· After some days, he came upon a man weeping near a well.
► tear· And I wouldn't weep tears over it, either.· Spitting icicles and weeping tears of frost, the crucified one wrenched at his adamantine bolts.· Then I began to weep, howling with tears.· Whatever the reason, she wept, heartbroken tears that were almost silent but which tore her apart.· Finally to let her mind slip free of all this chaos, turn her face to the wall and weep slow tears.· You hold the world at arms length while Your heart weeps tears but your lips smile.· So she fell upon his grey hairy neck, weeping bright tears.
► woman· Less than a hundred years ago when a woman wept other women would weep with her.· I could hear a woman weeping hysterically in one of the automobiles which had collided.· As the woman was weeping, I asked if she cried often about this.· A woman wept quietly, while a child at her side screamed in terror.
VERB► begin· He shook Wynne-Jones who murmured in his sleep, then began to weep.· He left his cup of coffee to grow cold, and then began weeping again.· Then I began to weep, howling with tears.· Her tears seemed to grieve the kind-hearted Munchkins, for they immediately took out their handkerchiefs and began to weep also.· Last month, as Perveen crouched outside the Gujar Khan courtroom, an elderly woman watched her silently and began to weep.· Ruta said, and began to weep.· Still standing by the window, he began to weep.· Many of the delegation members had begun to weep.
► start· He held her to him and she started to weep hysterically.· Michelle had started to weep with terror, begging Mildred to come with her.
► want· They are supposed to be cheerful and rejoice, when they want to weep with terror and self-pity.· Who would have thought that the prospect of leaving this place could make me want to weep!· She wanted to weep for the ecstasy she would never know now.· I only wanted a shoulder to weep on.· I wanted to weep for an enormous violent sensuality I would never know again.· Her figure even looked good; he wanted to weep, or throw her over his shoulder and just run.· He suffers so much he wants to weep.· I wanted to weep for her broken heart.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► I could have weptPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► weep buckets
1[intransitive, transitive] formal or literary to cry, especially because you feel very sad: - Without knowing what he'd got. I could have wept thinking what I'd missed.
- I wept buckets, but it wasn't until later that I realized what had happened.
- When a girl was caught stealing sugar from the kitchen she wept buckets at the telling off she received.
James broke down and wept.weep for She wept for the loss of her mother. He wept bitterly (=cried a lot) when it was time for us to leave.► see thesaurus at cryRegisterIn everyday English, people usually say cry rather than weep:· She was crying all the way through the movie.2I could have wept spoken used to say that you felt very disappointed about something: I could have wept thinking what I’d missed.3[intransitive] if a wound weeps, liquid comes out of it—weep noun [singular]COLLOCATIONSadverbsopenly· Some of the mourners wept openly.bitterly (=crying hard)· I heard the sound of a woman weeping bitterly.quietly/silently· He was weeping quietly, allowing the tears to run down his cheeks.nounsweep tears· She wept bitter tears of self-reproach.weep buckets informal (=produce a lot of tears)· I didn’t know if she would get well, and I wept buckets every night.phrasesbreak down and weep (=start crying)· As she watched his plane taxi away, she broke down and wept.weep and wail (=cry and make loud sad noises – often used humorously)· The baby wept and wailed all the way through the ceremony.