weep

verb

ˈwēp 

wept ˈwept  ; weeping

transitive verb

1

: to express deep sorrow for usually by shedding tears : bewail

weeping the sins and errors of his youth

—Edward Gibbon

2

: to pour forth (tears) from the eyes

3

: to exude (a fluid) slowly : ooze

a tree weeping sap

intransitive verb

1

: to express passion (such as grief) by shedding tears

2

a

: to give off or leak fluid slowly : ooze

b

of a fluid : to flow sluggishly or in drops

3

: to droop over : bend

Synonyms

• bleed
• exude
• ooze
• percolate
• seep
• strain
• sweat
• transude

Examples of weep in a Sentence

He wept at the news of her death.

She sat down and wept.

He wept bitter tears of disappointment.

The meringue will weep if you put it in the fridge.

Recent Examples on the Web

Such are the spending restrictions under baseball’s international signing system, but weep not for Sasaki, who is certain to line up enough marketing and endorsement opportunities to live quite comfortably. —Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025

Ian starts to weep, burying his face in the dog’s fur while Rachel rubs her husband’s back in sympathy. —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 17 Jan. 2025

Members of Dakota’s family, many wearing orange in his memory, wept through much of the hearing, though kept their response muted when Wilson was sentenced. —Amy Lavalley, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2025

Painted on slabs of vinyl affixed to the brick, the mural — a large rectangle about the size of the building’s ground floor — featured a background that appeared to depict mass graves, weeping mothers, drones and other scenes of carnage in Gaza. —Andrew Lapin, Sun Sentinel, 14 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English wepen, from Old English wēpan; akin to Old High German wuoffan to weep, Serbian & Croatian vapiti to cry out

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing weep

• weep hole

Kids Definition

weep

verb

ˈwēp 

wept ˈwept  ; weeping

1

: to show emotion and especially sorrow by shedding tears : cry

2

: to give off liquid slowly or in drops : ooze

a tree weeping sap

weeper noun

Medical Definition

weep

verb

ˈwēp 

wept ˈwept  ; weeping

transitive verb

1

: to pour forth (tears) from the eyes

2

: to exude (a fluid) slowly

intransitive verb

1

: to shed tears

2

: to exude a serous fluid

a weeping burn