Cry out means to shout suddenly because of pain, fear or surprise; it can also mean to call for help: cry out for help. The second meaning is figurative: be crying out for something means to need it badly: The kitchen is crying out for new paint.
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cry out (in pain/fear/surprise); cry out for help; be crying out for + noun
- He slipped on the ice and cried out in pain.
- Someone in the flat upstairs cried out for help, so we called the police.
- After fifteen years, this kitchen is crying out for new cupboards.
What changed
First versionShe touched the hot pan and cried out from pain.
RevisionShe touched the hot pan and cried out in pain.
From can seem logical for the cause, but the reason for crying out is introduced with in: cried out in pain, cried out in surprise. Only the preposition was changed.
No tears are involved: cry out is a shout, not weeping. If you mean crying to let your feelings out, say have a good cry: I felt better after a good cry.
Your turn
When the nurse touched his broken arm, he ___ in pain.
Show the answer
cried out — The nurse touched his broken arm and he shouted in pain, so cried out. Cry off is British English for cancelling a plan at the last minute (He cried off the trip), which has nothing to do with pain.
Describe a moment when you or someone near you cried out in surprise or pain. Say what happened.
My sister cried out in surprise when a huge spider ran across the bathroom floor.
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