ENGLISH
REFERENCE

wept

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈwɛpt// UK //wˈɛpt// wept

v. the past tense of weep, which means to cry because you are very sad.

v. the past tense and past participle of 'weep'; describes the act of shedding tears, typically as an expression of deep sorrow or grief.


SIMPLE

She sat by the window and wept quietly.

CONTEXTUAL

The crowd wept openly as the national anthem played during the memorial service for the fallen soldiers.

COMPLEX

Having lost everything in the fire, the old man sat upon the charred remains of his porch and wept for the memories that could never be replaced.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From weep + -t.

Usage

Often used in literary or formal contexts rather than everyday conversation; functions as an intransitive verb but can take a cognate object (e.g., 'wept bitter tears').

Pitfall

He weeped when he heard the news.He wept when he heard the news.'Weep' is an irregular verb; the past tense is 'wept', not 'weeped'.

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