ENGLISH
REFERENCE

weep

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈwip// UK //wˈiːp// weep Archaic

v. to cry a lot because you are very sad. It is a more formal or poetic way to say someone is crying deeply.

v. to shed tears as an expression of deep sorrow, grief, or pain. Often implies a more intense or prolonged state of distress than 'cry'.


SIMPLE

She began to weep when she heard the sad news.

CONTEXTUAL

The protagonist sits by the window to weep for his lost home in the final scene of the play.

COMPLEX

In many classical tragedies, the chorus is used to weep for the fallen hero, providing a collective voice for the audience's shared grief.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English wepen, from Old English wēpan (“to weep, complain, bewail, mourn over, deplore”), from Proto-West Germanic wōpijan, from Proto-Germanic wōpijaną (“to weep”), from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂b- (“to call, cry, complain”). Cognate with Scots weep (“to weep”), Saterland Frisian wapia (“to cry, complain”), Icelandic æpa (“to yell, shout”), Proto-Slavic *vъpiti (“to weep”).

Etymology 2

Imitative of its cry.

Usage

The verb is often intransitive, but can be used transitively in literary contexts (e.g., 'to weep bitter tears').

Idioms2 entries

© 2026 English Reference