Idioms for crying hard 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 weeping loudly, shedding endless tears, or showing deep sadness.
In this lesson, we’ll look at idioms that mean crying uncontrollably, weeping heavily, and letting your tears flow freely. Let’s get started and explore some of these helpful expressions.
Idioms for Crying Hard
1. Cry your eyes out
Meaning: Crying very intensely and for a long period of time.
For Example: She cried her eyes out after losing her favorite childhood teddy bear. / I cried my eyes out at the sad ending of the movie.
Other Ways to Say: Weep bitterly / Cry intensely
2. Cry a river
Meaning: Crying an extremely large amount of tears over a situation.
For Example: He cried a river when his team lost the championship match in the final minute. / You do not need to cry a river over a minor mistake on your quiz.
Other Ways to Say: Weep excessively / Shed endless tears
3. Burst into tears
Meaning: Suddenly starting to cry heavily and loudly without any warning.
For Example: The toddler burst into tears when his ice cream scoop fell onto the sidewalk. / She burst into tears of joy when she saw her surprise birthday present.
Other Ways to Say: Break down crying / Start weeping suddenly
4. Bawl your eyes out
Meaning: Crying extremely loudly and uncontrollably for a long duration.
For Example: He sat on the bench bawling his eyes out after scraping his knee. / She was bawling her eyes out when her best friend moved to a new city.
Other Ways to Say: Sob uncontrollably / Cry loudly
5. Sob your heart out
Meaning: Crying with deep, gasping breaths and intense emotional sadness.
For Example: The little girl sobbed her heart out when her pet bird flew away. / He sobbed his heart out after saying goodbye at the train station.
Other Ways to Say: Weep brokenheartedly / Cry deeply
6. 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 teacher at the end of the year. / The actor shed bucketfuls of tears on stage during the dramatic play.
Other Ways to Say: Cry buckets / Weep endlessly
7. Turn on the waterworks
Meaning: Starting to cry heavily, sometimes to gain attention or sympathy from others.
For Example: As soon as he got caught taking the cookie, he turned on the waterworks. / She turned on the waterworks so her older brother would share his toy car.
Other Ways to Say: Start crying loudly / Begin weeping freely
8. 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 finally found his lost dog.
Other Ways to Say: Collapse in tears / Succumb to weeping
9. Cry like a baby
Meaning: Weeping openly, loudly, and without holding back any emotion.
For Example: He cried like a baby when he accidentally dropped his favorite art poster in the mud. / I cried like a baby during the heartwarming video about rescued animals.
Other Ways to Say: Weep openly / Sob loudly
10. In floods of tears
Meaning: Being in a state where tears are continuously streaming down your face.
For Example: The young boy was in floods of tears after losing his parents in the crowded store. / She ran home in floods of tears after falling off her bicycle.
Other Ways to Say: Streaming with tears / Weeping heavily
11. Dissolve in tears
Meaning: Becoming so completely overcome by sadness that you can only weep.
For Example: She dissolved in tears when she saw her ruined science project. / The little girl dissolved in tears after misplacing her favorite sweater.
Other Ways to Say: Melt into weeping / Overcome by tears
12. Drown in tears
Meaning: Feeling completely overwhelmed and submerged by heavy, unstoppable weeping.
For Example: He felt as though he was drowning in tears after hearing the sad news. / She was drowning in tears all afternoon following the tough defeat.
Other Ways to Say: Overwhelmed by weeping / Sunk in sadness
13. Flood of tears
Meaning: A sudden, overwhelming gush of crying that pours out all at once.
For Example: A flood of tears came down her face when she hugged her grandmother goodbye. / His heartfelt apology was met with a sudden flood of tears from his sister.
Other Ways to Say: Outpouring of weeping / Torrent of tears
14. Open the floodgates
Meaning: Releasing all of your stored-up tears and sadness at the exact same moment.
For Example: Mentioning her old puppy opened the floodgates for the entire family. / Hearing the kind words from her teacher opened the floodgates of her emotion.
Other Ways to Say: Release all tears / Allow free crying
15. Cry yourself to sleep
Meaning: Weeping continuously in bed until you finally fall asleep from exhaustion.
For Example: She cried herself to sleep after having a big disagreement with her best friend. / The lonely camper cried himself to sleep on his very first night away from home.
Other Ways to Say: Weep until sleeping / Fall asleep crying
16. Tears streaming down your face
Meaning: Having tears flowing continuously and rapidly down both of your cheeks.
For Example: Tears were streaming down her face as she read the emotional story in class. / With tears streaming down his face, he thanked the firefighter who saved his cat.
Other Ways to Say: Face wet with tears / Flowing tears
17. Waterworks in full flow
Meaning: Crying at maximum volume and intensity without being able to stop easily.
For Example: With the waterworks in full flow, nobody in the room could calm the toddler down. / Her waterworks were in full flow after she bumped her knee on the table.
Other Ways to Say: Crying nonstop / Uncontrolled weeping
18. Cry buckets
Meaning: Shedding a very large quantity of tears in a short amount of time.
For Example: We cried buckets during the saddest chapter of our classroom reading book. / She cried buckets when her older brother left for his first year of college.
Other Ways to Say: Shed heavy tears / Weep lots
19. Well up with tears
Meaning: Tears rapidly filling up in your eyes right before spilling down your face.
For Example: My eyes welled up with tears when I watched the happy reunion at the end of the film. / She welled up with tears upon receiving the thoughtful handmade card.
Other Ways to Say: Eyes filling up / Teardrops forming
20. Cry your heart out
Meaning: Crying with absolute emotional intensity, honesty, and deep sadness.
For Example: Go ahead and cry your heart out if it helps you feel better after a hard day. / She cried her heart out after her delicate clay vase shattered on the floor.
Other Ways to Say: Weep deeply / Cry intensely
21. Rain tears
Meaning: Tears falling rapidly and steadily down your cheeks like heavy drops of rain.
For Example: It seemed to rain tears down her face during the sad scene in the play. / He rained tears onto his pillow after losing his prized collection card.
Other Ways to Say: Pour tears / Drop heavy weeping
22. Cry fit to burst
Meaning: Crying so hard that your whole body trembles and feels overwhelmed.
For Example: The toddler was crying fit to burst when his tall wooden block tower fell over. / She was crying fit to burst after feeling left out during recess games.
Other Ways to Say: Weep intensely / Cry powerfully
23. Break into a sob
Meaning: Suddenly starting to make heavy, gasping, crying sounds.
For Example: He broke into a sob when he realized his new bicycle was missing from the porch. / She broke into a sob while trying to explain the accident to her mother.
Other Ways to Say: Start sobbing / Burst out crying
24. Cry oceans of tears
Meaning: Weeping a massive, seemingly endless quantity of tears over a sorrowful event.
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
25. Tears pouring like rain
Meaning: Teardrops coming down heavily and fast without pausing or slowing down.
For Example: Her tears were pouring like rain as she waved goodbye to her classmates. / Tears poured like rain down his face when he hurt his ankle during the match.
Other Ways to Say: Heavy teardrops / Rapid crying
26. Drenched in tears
Meaning: Having your face, collar, or clothes completely wet from heavy weeping.
For Example: Her shirt was drenched in tears after comforting her upset younger brother. / He came home with a face drenched in tears after losing his favorite jacket.
Other Ways to Say: Wet with tears / Soaked in weeping
27. Bathed in tears
Meaning: Having your entire face completely covered in moisture from continuous crying.
For Example: The little girl’s face was bathed in tears after she scraped her elbow on the playground. / She sat bathed in tears while watching the touching animal rescue video.
Other Ways to Say: Covered in tears / Face wet with crying
28. Soaked in tears
Meaning: Being completely damp or wet because of constant and intense weeping.
For Example: Her pillow was soaked in tears by the time morning arrived. / His paper tissue was soaked in tears after reading the sad ending of the story.
Other Ways to Say: Wet from weeping / Drenched in tears
29. Shed a torrent of tears
Meaning: Releasing a rapid, rushing stream of heavy crying all at once.
For Example: She shed a torrent of tears when her soccer team lost the final game. / A torrent of tears fell from his eyes when he accidentally spilled his juice.
Other Ways to Say: Rapid crying / Heavy flow of tears
30. Tear-stained face
Meaning: Having clear, visible lines or marks on your skin from heavy crying.
For Example: The lost boy looked up at the friendly police officer with a tear-stained face. / She walked into the kitchen with a pale, tear-stained face after her sad phone call.
Other Ways to Say: Face marked by tears / Wet cheeks
31. Cry enough to fill a lake
Meaning: An exaggerated way to describe crying a tremendous, unbelievable amount.
For Example: She felt like she could cry enough to fill a lake after losing her favorite ring. / He cried enough to fill a lake when his team fell behind in the tournament.
Other Ways to Say: Weep endlessly / Cry huge amounts
32. Flood of weeping
Meaning: A continuous, rushing stream of heavy and emotional crying.
For Example: A flood of weeping filled the living room after the sad news was shared. / She gave in to a flood of weeping after a very frustrating afternoon at school.
Other Ways to Say: Continuous crying / Outpouring of grief
33. Tears rolling down
Meaning: Drops of water moving steadily down your cheeks one right after another.
For Example: Tears were rolling down his face during the emotional finale of the movie. / She felt warm tears rolling down her cheeks in the cold morning air.
Other Ways to Say: Teardrops falling / Steady crying
34. Overflowing with tears
Meaning: Eyes so completely full of tears that water spills out continuously.
For Example: Her eyes were overflowing with tears of complete happiness and relief. / His face was overflowing with tears after dropping his lunch tray on the floor.
Other Ways to Say: Spilling tears / Overflowing eyes
35. Cry a fountain of tears
Meaning: Weeping so rapidly that tears seem to spout out like water from a fountain.
For Example: The young child cried a fountain of tears when his shiny red balloon popped. / She cried a fountain of tears over her lost kitten until it was found.
Other Ways to Say: Fountain of crying / Rapid weeping
36. Cascading tears
Meaning: Teardrops falling rapidly down your cheeks like a small, rushing waterfall.
For Example: Cascading tears covered her face during the emotional farewell party. / He tried to wipe away the cascading tears with the sleeve of his sweater.
Other Ways to Say: Falling teardrops / Rapid weeping
37. In a pool of tears
Meaning: Sitting or lying down while crying so heavily that everything around feels wet.
For Example: She sat in a pool of tears on her bedroom floor after the tough loss. / The sad puppy whimpered while lying in a pool of tears at the shelter.
Other Ways to Say: Surrounded by tears / Weeping heavily
38. Stream of tears
Meaning: A continuous, unbroken line of teardrops running down your skin.
For Example: A steady stream of tears washed away her colorful face paint at the fair. / He wiped the stream of tears off his chin with a clean paper napkin.
Other Ways to Say: Continuous tears / Flowing teardrops
39. Weep bitter tears
Meaning: Crying with intense feelings of deep hurt, regret, or disappointment.
For Example: He wept bitter tears after making a costly mistake during the championship. / She wept bitter tears when her handmade art project was ruined by the rain.
Other Ways to Say: Weep mournfully / Cry with regret
40. Crying a storm
Meaning: Weeping wildly, loudly, and with great emotional energy like a storm.
For Example: The upset baby was crying a storm during the entire airplane ride. / She was crying a storm after she accidentally dropped her glass glass.
Other Ways to Say: Loud weeping / Intense crying
41. Tears falling like rain
Meaning: Drops of tears falling in rapid, continuous succession down your face.
For Example: Tears were falling like rain while the family said goodbye to their old home. / His tears were falling like rain onto his open notebook page.
Other Ways to Say: Teardrops showering / Rapid crying
42. Dissolve into a puddle of tears
Meaning: Collapsing onto the floor or couch while crying heavily and completely.
For Example: The exhausted child dissolved into a puddle of tears on the living room rug. / She dissolved into a puddle of tears when her poster board fell apart.
Other Ways to Say: Collapse crying / Fall into tears
43. Cry until you are dry
Meaning: Weeping for such a long time that you eventually have no tears left.
For Example: She decided to cry until she was dry after receiving the sad news. / He cried until he was dry and then fell fast asleep on the couch.
Other Ways to Say: Run out of tears / Weep completely
44. Uncontrollable weeping
Meaning: Intense crying that cannot be stopped, quieted, or calmed down easily.
For Example: She experienced uncontrollable weeping after the loud, frightening thunder. / Uncontrollable weeping filled the hall after the disappointing announcement.
Other Ways to Say: Crying nonstop / Unchecked tears
45. Burst into a deluge of tears
Meaning: Suddenly spilling out an enormous and overwhelming amount of crying.
For Example: She burst into a deluge of tears after seeing her old friends again. / He burst into a deluge of tears when his ice cream scoop fell.
Other Ways to Say: Sudden heavy crying / Torrent of tears
46. Endless stream of tears
Meaning: Crying that feels continuous and seems as though it will never stop.
For Example: An endless stream of tears flowed down her face during the movie. / She felt as though an endless stream of tears was pouring down her cheeks.
Other Ways to Say: Nonstop weeping / Unending tears
47. Tears pouring down
Meaning: Teardrops falling down your face freely, rapidly, and heavily.
For Example: With tears pouring down, she handed back the broken toy to her brother. / He had tears pouring down his face as he laughed and cried at once.
Other Ways to Say: Teardrops flowing / Heavy crying
48. Cry up a storm
Meaning: Making a big, loud, and very dramatic display of heavy crying.
For Example: My younger sister cried up a storm when she was told it was bedtime. / He cried up a storm because he did not want to wear his winter coat.
Other Ways to Say: Cry loudly / Make a big crying scene
49. Eyes leaking like a faucet
Meaning: Tears coming out of your eyes steadily and constantly like a dripping tap.
For Example: My eyes were leaking like a faucet while cutting up fresh yellow onions. / Her eyes were leaking like a faucet throughout the sad chapter of the book.
Other Ways to Say: Dripping tears / Steady crying
50. Shower of tears
Meaning: A quick, heavy sprinkling of teardrops falling down all at once.
For Example: A sudden shower of tears wet her paper while she wrote her apology letter. / His sincere apology came with a shower of tears and a warm hug.
Other Ways to Say: Quick burst of tears / Heavy teardrops
51. Heavy weeping
Meaning: Deep, serious, and loud crying that takes a lot of physical energy.
For Example: The quiet house was filled with heavy weeping after the sad loss. / Heavy weeping could be heard coming from her bedroom down the hall.
Other Ways to Say: Deep crying / Intense weeping
52. Cry a bucketful
Meaning: Weeping a huge amount over a very painful or disappointing event.
For Example: He cried a bucketful when he missed the penalty kick in overtime. / She cried a bucketful after accidentally leaving her library book in the rain.
Other Ways to Say: Shed heavy tears / Weep profusely
53. Eyes brimming with tears
Meaning: Eyes completely filled with tears that are right on the edge of spilling.
For Example: Her eyes were brimming with tears as she took her final bow on stage. / His eyes were brimming with tears when he heard the beautiful song played.
Other Ways to Say: Eyes overflowing / Tears welling up
54. Weep rivers of tears
Meaning: Crying continuously as though creating flowing streams of water on your face.
For Example: The princess wept rivers of tears in the old fairytale story. / He wept rivers of tears after dropping his model airplane down the stairs.
Other Ways to Say: Cry continuously / Pour out tears
55. Weep endless tears
Meaning: Crying for a long period without any signs of slowing down or stopping.
For Example: She seemed to weep endless tears after her favorite toy was lost. / The sad book caused the readers to weep endless tears.
Other Ways to Say: Cry continuously / Unending weeping
56. Eyes red from crying
Meaning: Having puffy, red eyes as a result of weeping intensely for a while.
For Example: He came out of his room with eyes red from crying all afternoon. / Her eyes were red from crying after hearing the disappointing news.
Other Ways to Say: Puffy eyes / Red-eyed from weeping
57. Cry yourself hoarse
Meaning: Crying and sobbing so loudly for so long that your throat becomes sore.
For Example: The little boy cried himself hoarse after losing his favorite toy. / She cried herself hoarse before her parents were able to comfort her.
Other Ways to Say: Scream-cry / Weep until raspy
58. Torrent of weeping
Meaning: A strong, overwhelming wave of heavy crying that crashes over you.
For Example: A torrent of weeping washed over her when the sad story ended. / He gave in to a torrent of weeping after a long and difficult week.
Other Ways to Say: Heavy surge of tears / Intense crying wave
59. Tears of sorrow
Meaning: Heavy crying brought on by deep sadness, disappointment, or grief.
For Example: She shed many tears of sorrow when saying goodbye to her hometown. / His tears of sorrow turned to smiles when his dog was found safe.
Other Ways to Say: Sad tears / Grief-filled crying
60. Heavy heart crying
Meaning: Crying that comes from feeling a deep, heavy emotional burden inside.
For Example: Her heavy heart crying quieted down after her mother gave her a hug. / He sat by the window in heavy heart crying until the rain stopped.
Other Ways to Say: Burdened weeping / Sorrowful crying
Exercise to Practice
- She sat on her bed and decided to cry her ________ out after losing her favorite ring.
- He cried a ________ when his soccer team lost the final game in overtime.
- The young boy burst into ________ when his red balloon floated up into the sky.
- He was sitting on the bench bawling his ________ out after scraping his knee.
- The sad child sobbed her ________ out when her pet hamster passed away.
- As soon as he realized he was in trouble, he turned on the ________.
- The tired athlete broke down in ________ after crossing the finish line.
- Marcus cried like a ________ when he dropped his ice cream cone on the ground.
- The little girl was in floods of ________ after losing her doll in the park.
- A sudden flood of ________ came down her cheeks when she hugged her mother.
- She went to her bedroom and cried herself to ________ after a long day.
- Tears were streaming down her ________ as she read the heartwarming letter.
- We cried ________ during the saddest chapter of our classroom reading book.
- My eyes welled up with ________ during the beautiful school choir performance.
- He looked up at his mother with a pale, tear-stained ________.
Answer Key
- eyes
- river
- tears
- eyes
- heart
- waterworks
- tears
- baby
- tears
- tears
- sleep
- face
- buckets
- tears
- face
Conclusion
Learning idioms for crying hard is a fantastic 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, engaging, and memorable.
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 help your writing shine!
