weep

weep — verb

1. to let tears flow from your eyes when you feel very sad, hurt, or emotional

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

to let tears flow from your eyes when you feel very sad, hurt, or emotional

Example

Hao wept quietly throughout his grandmother's funeral service.

intransitive: weep + adverb of manner

Nala wept tears of joy when her son returned home safely from his trip.

transitive: weep + tears of [emotion]

Common collocations
  • weep bitterly
  • weep openly
  • weep quietly
  • weep with joy
  • weep for someone
Synonyms
  • cry

    the everyday, neutral term; 'weep' is more formal or literary

  • sob

    implies loud, gasping crying with short breaths

  • wail

    a loud, high-pitched cry, often of grief or pain

Antonyms
  • laugh

    weeping expresses sadness; laughter expresses happiness or amusement

Grammar Patterns

weep + adverb (quietly/bitterly/openly)

weep + tears + of + emotion

Usage Note

The verb is irregular: weep → wept → wept. More formal and literary than 'cry'; 'cry' is the typical choice in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

I weeped when I heard the bad news.
I wept when I heard the bad news.
'weep' is an irregular verb (weep-wept-wept), not 'weeped'.

2. if a wound, cut, or sore weeps, it slowly releases a fluid such as pus or a clea

2.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

if a wound, cut, or sore weeps, it slowly releases a fluid such as pus or a clear liquid

Example

Hari's scraped knee was weeping a thin, clear liquid.

weeping + [type of liquid]

The wound on Christopher's leg wept for nearly a whole week.

weep + for [duration]

Common collocations
  • weep pus
  • weep clear fluid
  • weeping sore
  • weeping wound
  • weep for days
Synonyms
  • ooze

    more common in everyday English for slow liquid release from a wound

  • seep

    emphasises slow, steady leaking rather than the context of an injury

  • drain

    implies a deliberate or natural flow-out, often of pus from an infection site

Grammar Patterns

weep + (liquid)

wound / cut / sore + weep

Usage Note

Subject is always a wound, sore, cut, or infected area. Never used for normal bodily fluids like sweat or tears falling from the eye — those are covered by sense 1.

Common Mistakes

His eyes were weeping because of the onion.' (wrong sense)
His eyes were watering because of the onion.
'weep' for a wound releasing fluid; 'water' for eyes reacting to irritants.

weep — noun

Word family

  • weeping
    adjectiveB1
  • weepy
    adjectiveB2
  • weeper
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All five verbs describe producing tears, but they differ in intensity, sound, and register. 'Cry' is the everyday, neutral term — you cry at a sad movie, when you stub your toe, or when you feel lonely. 'Weep' is more formal and literary, often suggesting deep, quiet grief rather than loud sobbing. 'Sob' describes short, gasping breaths mixed with crying, typically after a shock or during overwhelming sadness. 'Wail' is a long, loud, high-pitched cry of extreme grief or pain, often deliberate and expressive. 'Whimper' is a soft, weak cry, usually from fear, discomfort, or mild pain — think of a frightened child or a hurt puppy. For everyday use, 'cry' fits most situations; 'weep' is better for describing sadness in writing; 'sob' highlights the physical gasping; 'wail' and 'whimper' describe the sound quality.

weep ↗cry ↗sob ↗wail ↗whimper

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • weep with joy
  • weep for someone
  • weep over something
  • weep bitter tears

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'weep' comes from Old English 'wēpan', meaning 'to lament, shed tears'. It goes back to a Proto-Germanic root '*wōpijaną', which is related to Old Saxon 'wōpian', Old High German 'wuoffan' (to lament), and Gothic 'wōpjan' (to cry out). The word has retained its core meaning of expressing sorrow through tears for over a thousand years in English.