Idioms for crying a lot are special phrases that mean something different from what the individual words say on their own. People use them to make their speaking and writing more colorful, descriptive, and fun. In this guide, you will learn many popular expressions that describe shedding tears, feeling deeply sad, or weeping heavily.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean crying uncontrollable tears, showing deep sadness, and weeping freely. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Crying a Lot
1. Cry a river
Meaning: Crying an extremely large amount of tears over a situation.
For Example: She cried a river when her favorite pet hamster passed away. / You don’t need to cry a river over losing a simple game of tag.
Other Ways to Say: Weep excessively / Shed endless tears
2. Burst into tears
Meaning: Suddenly starting to cry heavily and loudly without warning.
For Example: The toddler burst into tears when his ice cream scoop fell off the cone. / She burst into tears after hearing the wonderfully happy news.
Other Ways to Say: Break down crying / Start weeping suddenly
3. Cry your eyes out
Meaning: Crying very hard and for a long period of time.
For Example: I cried my eyes out at the sad ending of that movie. / She sat on her bed and cried her eyes out after losing her necklace.
Other Ways to Say: Weep bitterly / Cry intensely
4. Break down in tears
Meaning: Losing control of your emotions and beginning to weep heavily.
For Example: The tired runner broke down in tears after crossing the finish line. / He broke down in tears when he found his lost dog.
Other Ways to Say: Collapse in tears / Succumb to weeping
5. Shed bucketfuls of tears
Meaning: Pouring out an enormous volume of tears during a sad moment.
For Example: We shed bucketfuls of tears while saying goodbye to our neighbors. / The actor shed bucketfuls of tears on stage during the play.
Other Ways to Say: Cry buckets / Weep endlessly
6. Turn on the waterworks
Meaning: Starting to cry heavily, sometimes to get attention or sympathy.
For Example: As soon as he got caught taking the cookie, he turned on the waterworks. / She turned on the waterworks so her brother would share his toy.
Other Ways to Say: Start crying loudly / Begin weeping freely
7. Cry bucketfuls
Meaning: Weeping deeply so much that it feels like buckets of water.
For Example: She cried bucketfuls when her best friend moved to another state. / The whole class cried bucketfuls during the moving graduation speech.
Other Ways to Say: Shed tears heavily / Weep abundantly
8. Weep rivers of tears
Meaning: Crying continuously as if creating flowing streams of water.
For Example: The princess wept rivers of tears in the old fairytale. / He wept rivers of tears after dropping his prized model airplane.
Other Ways to Say: Cry continuously / Pour out tears
9. Cry like a baby
Meaning: Weeping openly, loudly, and without holding back any emotion.
For Example: He cried like a baby when he scraped his knee on the playground. / I cried like a baby during the heartwarming family video.
Other Ways to Say: Weep openly / Sob loudly
10. Dissolve in tears
Meaning: Becoming so overcome by sadness that you can only weep.
For Example: She dissolved in tears when she saw her broken art project. / The little girl dissolved in tears after losing her teddy bear.
Other Ways to Say: Melt into weeping / Overcome by tears
11. Drown in tears
Meaning: Feeling completely overwhelmed and submerged by heavy weeping.
For Example: He was drowning in tears after hearing the sad story. / She felt like she was drowning in tears all afternoon.
Other Ways to Say: Overwhelmed by weeping / Sunk in sadness
12. Flood of tears
Meaning: A sudden, overwhelming gush of crying that pours out.
For Example: A flood of tears came down her face when she hugged her mom. / His apology was met with a flood of tears from his sister.
Other Ways to Say: Outpouring of weeping / Torrent of tears
13. Open the floodgates
Meaning: Letting out all your stored-up tears all at once.
For Example: Mentioning her old puppy opened the floodgates for the entire family. / Hearing the kind words opened the floodgates of her emotion.
Other Ways to Say: Release all tears / Allow free crying
14. Cry a bucketful
Meaning: Weeping a huge amount over a painful or disappointing event.
For Example: He cried a bucketful when he missed the championship penalty kick. / She cried a bucketful after losing her favorite library book.
Other Ways to Say: Shed heavy tears / Weep profusely
15. Cry yourself to sleep
Meaning: Weeping continuously in bed until you finally fall asleep.
For Example: She cried herself to sleep after arguing with her best friend. / The lonely child cried himself to sleep on his first night at camp.
Other Ways to Say: Weep until sleeping / Fall asleep crying
16. In floods of tears
Meaning: Being in a state where tears are constantly streaming down your face.
For Example: The little boy was in floods of tears after losing his mother in the store. / She ran home in floods of tears after falling off her bike.
Other Ways to Say: Streaming with tears / Weeping heavily
17. Bawl your eyes out
Meaning: Crying extremely loudly and intensely for a long duration.
For Example: She was bawling her eyes out after her team lost the finals. / He sat on the bench bawling his eyes out over his torn poster.
Other Ways to Say: Sob uncontrollably / Cry loudly
18. Sob your heart out
Meaning: Crying with deep, gasping breaths and intense sadness.
For Example: The girl sobbed her heart out when she lost her favorite doll. / He sobbed his heart out after saying goodbye at the airport.
Other Ways to Say: Weep brokenheartedly / Cry deeply
19. Tears streaming down your face
Meaning: Having tears flowing continuously and rapidly down your cheeks.
For Example: Tears were streaming down her face as she read the sad letter. / With tears streaming down his face, he thanked his rescuers.
Other Ways to Say: Face wet with tears / Flowing tears
20. Waterworks in full flow
Meaning: Crying at maximum volume and intensity without stopping.
For Example: With the waterworks in full flow, nobody could calm the baby down. / Her waterworks were in full flow after she bumped her elbow.
Other Ways to Say: Crying nonstop / Uncontrolled weeping
21. Cry buckets
Meaning: Shedding a large quantity of tears in a short amount of time.
For Example: We cried buckets during the sad chapter of our class book. / She cried buckets when her big brother went away to college.
Other Ways to Say: Shed heavy tears / Weep lots
22. Eyes brimming with tears
Meaning: Eyes completely filled with tears that are about to spill over.
For Example: Her eyes were brimming with tears as she took her final bow. / His eyes were brimming with tears when he heard the beautiful song.
Other Ways to Say: Eyes overflowing / Tears welling up
23. Well up with tears
Meaning: Tears filling up in your eyes before they start falling down.
For Example: My eyes welled up with tears when I watched the movie ending. / She welled up with tears upon receiving the thoughtful gift.
Other Ways to Say: Eyes filling up / Teardrops forming
24. Rain tears
Meaning: Tears falling rapidly and steadily like drops of rain.
For Example: It seemed to rain tears down her cheeks during the sad play. / He rained tears onto his pillow after losing his prized card.
Other Ways to Say: Pour tears / Drop heavy weeping
25. Cry fit to burst
Meaning: Crying so hard that your body feels overwhelmed with emotion.
For Example: The toddler was crying fit to burst when his tower fell. / She was crying fit to burst after being left out of the game.
Other Ways to Say: Weep intensely / Cry powerfully
26. Break into a sob
Meaning: Starting to make gasping, crying noises suddenly.
For Example: He broke into a sob when he realized his bike was missing. / She broke into a sob while telling the teacher what happened.
Other Ways to Say: Start sobbing / Burst out crying
27. Cry oceans of tears
Meaning: Weeping a massive, seemingly endless quantity of water.
For Example: The fairytale queen cried oceans of tears for her lost kingdom. / She cried oceans of tears over her ruined birthday cake.
Other Ways to Say: Weep endlessly / Pour out oceans
28. Tears pouring like rain
Meaning: Tears coming down heavily and fast without pausing.
For Example: Her tears were pouring like rain as she hugged her family. / Tears poured like rain down his face when he hurt his foot.
Other Ways to Say: Heavy teardrops / Rapid crying
29. Choke back tears NOT
Meaning: Being completely unable to stop your tears from coming out.
For Example: She could not choke back tears when her name was announced. / He failed to choke back tears during the sad story.
Other Ways to Say: Unable to stop weeping / Free flowing tears
30. Cry your heart out
Meaning: Crying with complete emotional intensity and deep sadness.
For Example: Go ahead and cry your heart out if it helps you feel better. / She cried her heart out after her art project broke.
Other Ways to Say: Weep deeply / Cry intensely
31. Cry a sea of tears
Meaning: Shedding an immense volume of tears over a major sorrow.
For Example: They cried a sea of tears when saying farewell to their teacher. / She felt like she cried a sea of tears after the sad news.
Other Ways to Say: Weep endlessly / Pour out tears
32. Heavy with tears
Meaning: Eyes or expression burdened by a massive amount of unshed tears.
For Example: Her face was heavy with tears as she stepped off the bus. / His eyes were heavy with tears during the memorial service.
Other Ways to Say: Filled with sadness / Burdened by tears
33. Drenched in tears
Meaning: Having your face or clothes completely wet from weeping.
For Example: Her shirt was drenched in tears after hugging her crying friend. / He came home with a face drenched in tears after losing the match.
Other Ways to Say: Wet with tears / Soaked in weeping
34. Bathed in tears
Meaning: Face completely covered in moisture from continuous crying.
For Example: The little girl’s face was bathed in tears after she fell. / She sat bathed in tears while watching the sad video.
Other Ways to Say: Covered in tears / Face wet with crying
35. Soaked in tears
Meaning: Completely damp or wet because of continuous weeping.
For Example: Her pillow was soaked in tears by the time morning came. / His tissue was soaked in tears after the sad story.
Other Ways to Say: Wet from weeping / Drenched in tears
36. Shed a torrent of tears
Meaning: Releasing a rapid, rushing flow of crying all at once.
For Example: She shed a torrent of tears when her team lost the match. / A torrent of tears fell from his eyes when he spilled his drink.
Other Ways to Say: Rapid crying / Heavy flow of tears
37. Bursting into a fit of crying
Meaning: Suddenly erupting into intense, loud weeping.
For Example: The baby kept bursting into a fit of crying during the flight. / She couldn’t help bursting into a fit of crying after falling over.
Other Ways to Say: Sudden crying outburst / Uncontrolled weeping
38. Tear-stained face
Meaning: Having visible lines or marks on your cheeks from heavy crying.
For Example: The little boy looked up with a tear-stained face. / She walked into the kitchen with a pale, tear-stained face.
Other Ways to Say: Face marked by tears / Wet cheeks
39. Cry enough to fill a lake
Meaning: An exaggerated way to describe crying a tremendous amount.
For Example: She felt like she could cry enough to fill a lake today. / He cried enough to fill a lake after losing his sweater.
Other Ways to Say: Weep endlessly / Cry huge amounts
40. Flood of weeping
Meaning: A continuous, rushing stream of heavy crying.
For Example: A flood of weeping filled the room after the sad announcement. / She gave into a flood of weeping after a frustrating afternoon.
Other Ways to Say: Continuous crying / Outpouring of grief
41. Tears rolling down
Meaning: Drops of water moving down your cheeks one after another.
For Example: Tears were rolling down his face during the sad scene. / She felt warm tears rolling down her cheeks in the cold air.
Other Ways to Say: Teardrops falling / Steady crying
42. Overflowing with tears
Meaning: Eyes so full of crying that water spills out continuously.
For Example: Her eyes were overflowing with tears of complete joy. / His face was overflowing with tears after dropping his food.
Other Ways to Say: Spilling tears / Overflowing eyes
43. Cry a fountain of tears
Meaning: Weeping so rapidly that tears spurt out like water from a fountain.
For Example: The child cried a fountain of tears when his balloon popped. / She cried a fountain of tears over the lost kitten.
Other Ways to Say: Fountain of crying / Rapid weeping
44. Cascading tears
Meaning: Teardrops falling rapidly down cheeks like a small waterfall.
For Example: Cascading tears covered her face during the farewell party. / He tried to wipe away the cascading tears with his sleeve.
Other Ways to Say: Falling teardrops / Rapid weeping
45. In a pool of tears
Meaning: Sitting or lying down while crying so much that everything feels wet.
For Example: She sat in a pool of tears on her bedroom floor. / The puppy whimpered while lying in a pool of tears.
Other Ways to Say: Surrounded by tears / Weeping heavily
46. Stream of tears
Meaning: A continuous line of teardrops running down your skin.
For Example: A steady stream of tears wiped away her face paint. / He wiped the stream of tears off his chin with a napkin.
Other Ways to Say: Continuous tears / Flowing teardrops
47. Weep bitter tears
Meaning: Crying with deep feelings of hurt, regret, or disappointment.
For Example: He wept bitter tears after making a costly mistake in the game. / She wept bitter tears when her favorite jacket was ruined.
Other Ways to Say: Weep mournfully / Cry with regret
48. Crying a storm
Meaning: Weeping wildly, loudly, and intensely like a stormy weather event.
For Example: The baby was crying a storm during the entire car ride. / She was crying a storm after she accidentally broke her glass.
Other Ways to Say: Loud weeping / Intense crying
49. Tears falling like rain
Meaning: Drops of crying falling in rapid, steady succession.
For Example: Tears were falling like rain while the family said goodbye. / His tears were falling like rain onto his open notebook.
Other Ways to Say: Teardrops showering / Rapid crying
50. River of sadness
Meaning: A deep, continuous flow of crying caused by heavy grief.
For Example: She released a river of sadness after her pet ran away. / The sad news created a river of sadness in the room.
Other Ways to Say: Deep weeping / Flowing grief
51. Dissolve into a puddle of tears
Meaning: Collapsing onto the ground while crying heavily and completely.
For Example: The tired child dissolved into a puddle of tears on the rug. / She dissolved into a puddle of tears when her craft fell apart.
Other Ways to Say: Collapse crying / Fall into tears
52. Cry until you are dry
Meaning: Weeping for so long that you have no more tears left to shed.
For Example: She decided to cry until she was dry after the sad news. / He cried until he was dry and then fell fast asleep.
Other Ways to Say: Run out of tears / Weep completely
53. Uncontrollable weeping
Meaning: Crying that cannot be stopped or quieted easily.
For Example: She experienced uncontrollable weeping after the frightening storm. / Uncontrollable weeping filled the hallway after the bad news.
Other Ways to Say: Crying nonstop / Unchecked tears
54. Burst into a deluge of tears
Meaning: Suddenly spilling out an enormous amount of crying.
For Example: She burst into a deluge of tears after seeing her old friends. / He burst into a deluge of tears when his ice cream fell.
Other Ways to Say: Sudden heavy crying / Torrent of tears
55. Endless stream of tears
Meaning: Crying that seems like it will never stop or run out.
For Example: An endless stream of tears flowed during the sad film. / She felt like an endless stream of tears was falling down her cheeks.
Other Ways to Say: Nonstop weeping / Unending tears
56. Tears pouring down
Meaning: Teardrops falling down cheeks freely and heavily.
For Example: With tears pouring down, she handed back the broken toy. / He had tears pouring down his face as he laughed and cried.
Other Ways to Say: Teardrops flowing / Heavy crying
57. Cry up a storm
Meaning: Making a big, loud, and dramatic show of crying.
For Example: My little sister cried up a storm when bedtime arrived. / He cried up a storm because he didn’t want to wear his coat.
Other Ways to Say: Cry loudly / Make a big crying scene
58. Eyes leaking like a faucet
Meaning: Tears coming out steadily and constantly like a dripping tap.
For Example: My eyes were leaking like a faucet while chopping fresh onions. / Her eyes were leaking like a faucet throughout the sad story.
Other Ways to Say: Dripping tears / Steady crying
59. Shower of tears
Meaning: A quick, heavy sprinkling of teardrops falling all at once.
For Example: A sudden shower of tears wet her paper as she wrote. / His apology came with a shower of tears and a warm hug.
Other Ways to Say: Quick burst of tears / Heavy teardrops
60. Heavy weeping
Meaning: Deep, serious, and loud crying that takes a lot of energy.
For Example: The quiet house was filled with heavy weeping after the loss. / Heavy weeping could be heard from her bedroom.
Other Ways to Say: Deep crying / Intense weeping
Exercise to Practice
- She decided to cry a ________ when her favorite pencil broke into two pieces.
- The little boy burst into ________ when his red balloon floated away into the sky.
- I cried my ________ out at the very end of that sad movie.
- As soon as he realized he was lost, he turned on the ________.
- Marcus cried like a ________ when he scraped his knee on the playground asphalt.
- A large flood of ________ came down her cheeks when she hugged her grandmother.
- She sat down on her soft bed and cried herself to ________.
- The young girl was in floods of ________ after losing her doll in the park.
- He was bawling his ________ out after his soccer team lost the final game.
- Tears were streaming down her ________ as she read the heartwarming letter.
- We cried ________ during the saddest chapter of our classroom reading book.
- Her eyes were brimming with ________ as she accepted the big trophy on stage.
- My eyes welled up with ________ during the beautiful school choir concert.
- She cried her ________ out after her detailed science poster got ruined by rain.
- He wiped away the tear-stained marks from his ________ with a warm towel.
Answer Key
- river
- tears
- eyes
- waterworks
- baby
- tears
- sleep
- tears
- eyes
- face
- buckets
- tears
- tears
- heart
- face
Conclusion
Learning idioms for crying a lot is a wonderful way to build your vocabulary and express deep emotions in creative ways. These expressive phrases help make your everyday speaking, story writing, and school assignments far more vivid and engaging.
Try using a few of these idioms the next time you write a dramatic story or describe a sad movie scene. Incorporating these colorful expressions into your daily language will boost your communication skills and make your writing shine!
