From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcry out phrasal verb1 SHOUTto make a loud sound of fear, shock, pain etc in/with Even the smallest movement made him cry out in pain. John tightened his grip until she cried out.2 SHOUTto shout or say something loudly ‘Why are you doing this?’ she cried out suddenly. for I felt too terrified to even cry out for help.3 be crying out for something informalNEED to need something urgently The kitchen is crying out for a coat of paint. My parents had divorced and I was crying out for love. → cry→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
cry out• Chris fell, crying out in pain.• "Careful!" she cried out. "There's a snake!"cry in/with• We have learned only that he told the news, and that the people cried out in anguish.• Ruth cried out in despair as his mouth and tongue teased her feminine core.• An explosion of thunder resounded round the silent street and one of the women cried out in fear.• Several of the youngsters cried out in fright and clung to one another.• He remembered the night when Rose had cried out in her sleep - something about a child.• Sabine cried out in horror as the Peugeot swerved crazily, and plunged off the road.• Even the smallest movement made him cry out in pain.• The hot car seats stung the children's bare legs and made them cry out in protest.• There is an earthquake in Leghorn: Flaubert doesn't cry out in sympathy.cry for• When it comes to day-to-day operations, the increasingly dire situation cries out for hard-nosed decisions and solid business management.• Chun cried out for his dead daughter.• Instead, the open land seemed to cry out for in-creased numbers to develop resources and increase the wealth of all.• Several of them cried out for it.• This is a problem that cries out for political action.• But few others cry out for recognition.• Willie just cries out for ridicule, don't you think?• Small businesses are crying out for workers, and poor foreigners plug a gap.be crying out for something• The system is crying out for a particular simple change.• Not that any industry was crying out for buffalo products at the time.• The city's in trouble and is crying out for help.• Farms and industry are crying out for labour.• The country is crying out for leadership and all Mr Smith has to offer is a talking-shop for academics and political has-beens.• Neither parents nor politicians are crying out for radical reform of the system.• Employers in all fields of endeavour were crying out for them, offering generous salaries along with an array of enticing perks.• The S is crying out for them.• Small businesses are crying out for workers, and poor foreigners plug a gap. 