# cry cupboard

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/cry-cupboard
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To want or need food; to show signs of hunger.

## Examples

- I am hungry and the cupboard is bare.
- We need to go grocery shopping soon because the cupboard is bare.
- After the long winter, the villagers realized the cupboard was bare and they had to ration their remaining supplies.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.