weep
/wiːp
/verb (past and past participle wept /wɛpt/) [no object]
1Shed tears: a grieving mother wept over the body of her daughter [with object]: he wept bitter tears at her cruelty (as adjective weeping) the weeping figure of a woman...
- The weary mother wept as the bus began its long journey back to her small village.
- He began to weep, the tears falling faster and faster from his eyes, running down his face.
- She heard her mother begin to weep softly as her father comforted her.
Synonyms
cry, shed tears, sob, snivel, whimper, whine, mewl, bawl, lament, grieve, mourn, keen, wail;
Scottish greet
informal boohoo, blub, blubber
literary pule
1.1Utter or express with tears: [with direct speech]: ‘No!’ she wept
1.2 [with object] archaic Mourn for; shed tears over: a young widow weeping her lost lord
2 (as adjective weeping) Used in names of tree and shrub varieties with drooping branches, e.g. weeping cherry.A weeping ash tree which stood in the square for 80 years was felled last year because of concerns over safety....
- As readers will know, the old weeping ash tree in King's Square has now been removed.
- The trees are all taller, except for the weeping cherry which my mother cut down for crimes against the view.
3Exude liquid: she rubbed the sore, making it weep...
- They may weep, and eventually grow a crust or scab.
- I could understand how skin like this might weep or bleed on occasion.
- These blisters eventually burst to reveal small wet patches of red skin that may weep fluid.
noun [in singular]
A fit or period of weeping: sit down and have a weep...
- She still has little weeps to herself when she thinks about Donald but she's on the mend.
Synonyms
cry, sob, snivel, whimper, mewl, bawl, lament;
flood of tears
informal blub, blubber
British informal grizzle
literary pule
Derivatives
weepingly
- Meg Ryan and Rosie O'Donnell are talking, weepingly, about the scene in An Affair to Remember which always makes them cry.
- ‘It's too soon ’, the father weepingly admits.
Origin
Old English wēpan (verb), of Germanic origin, probably imitative.
A Germanic word in origin, Old English wēpan is probably imitative of the sound of moaning and sobbing, although in modern use the verb indicates the more or less silent shedding of tears. Weep is now normally restricted to literary use.