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Ask vs Cry - What's the difference?

ask | cry |

As nouns the difference between ask and cry

is that ask is amplitude shift keying while cry is a shedding of tears; the act of crying.

As a verb cry is

to shed tears; to weep.

ask

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) asken, from (etyl) .

Verb

(en verb)
  • To request (information, or an answer to a question).
  • I asked her age.
  • To put forward (a question) to be answered.
  • to ask a question
  • To interrogate or enquire of (a person).
  • I'm going to ask this lady for directions.
  • * Bible, John ix. 21
  • He is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
  • To request or petition; usually with for .
  • to ask for a second helping at dinner
    to ask for help with homework
  • * Bible, Matthew vii. 7
  • Ask , and it shall be given you.
  • To require, demand, claim, or expect, whether by way of remuneration or return, or as a matter of necessity.
  • What price are you asking for the house?
  • * Addison
  • An exigence of state asks a much longer time to conduct a design to maturity.
  • To invite.
  • Don't ask them to the wedding.
  • To publish in church for marriage; said of both the banns and the persons.
  • (Fuller)
  • (figuratively) To take (a person's situation) as an example.
  • *
  • Usage notes
    * This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive . See * Pronouncing ask as /æks/ is a common example of metathesis and a feature of some varieties of English, notably African American Vernacular English (AAVE). * The action expressed by the verb ask'' can also be expressed by the noun-verb combination ''pose a question'' (confer the parallel in German between ''fragen'' and ''eine Frage stellen ).
    Derived terms
    * ask after * ask around * ask for * ask in * ask out * ask over * ask round * for the asking * no questions asked * outask

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An act or instance of asking.
  • * 2005 , Laura Fredricks, The ask :
  • To ask for a gift is a privilege, a wonderful expression of commitment to and ownership of the organization. Getting a yes to an ask can be a rush, but asking for the gift can and should be just as rewarding.
  • Something asked or asked for; a request.
  • * 2008 , Doug Fields, Duffy Robbins, Speaking to Teenagers :
  • Communication researchers call this the foot-in-the-door syndrome. Essentially it's based on the observation that people who respond positively to a small “ask'” are more likely to respond to a bigger “' ask ” later on.
  • An asking price.
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl) aske, arske, from (etyl) .

    Alternative forms

    *

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An eft; newt.
  • * 1876 , S. Smiles, Scottish Naturalist :
  • He looked at the beast. It was not an eel. It was very like an ask .
  • A lizard.
  • Statistics

    *

    cry

    English

    Verb

    (en-verb)
  • To shed tears; to weep.
  • That sad movie always makes me cry .
  • To utter loudly; to call out; to declare publicly.
  • * Shakespeare
  • All, all, cry shame against ye, yet I'll speak.
  • * Bunyan
  • The man ran on, crying , Life! life! Eternal life!
  • (ambitransitive) To shout, scream, yell.
  • * Bible, Matthew xxvii. 46
  • And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice.
  • To utter inarticulate sounds, as animals do.
  • * Bible, Psalms cxlvii. 9
  • the young ravens which cry
  • * Shakespeare
  • In a cowslip's bell I lie / There I couch when owls do cry .
  • To cause to do something, or bring to some state, by crying or weeping.
  • to cry oneself to sleep
  • To make oral and public proclamation of; to notify or advertise by outcry, especially things lost or found, goods to be sold, etc.
  • to cry goods
  • * Crashaw
  • Love is lost, and thus she cries him.
  • Hence, to publish the banns of, as for marriage.
  • * Judd
  • I should not be surprised if they were cried in church next Sabbath.

    Synonyms

    * weep * See also * See also

    Antonyms

    * laugh

    Derived terms

    * crybaby * cry in one's beer * cry like a baby * cry one's eyes out * cry off * cry out * cry someone a river * cry the blues * cry wolf * don't cry over spilt milk * kiss and cry

    Noun

    (cries)
  • A shedding of tears; the act of crying.
  • After we broke up, I retreated to my room for a good cry .
  • A shout or scream.
  • I heard a cry from afar.
  • Words shouted or screamed.
  • a battle cry
  • (collectively) A group of hounds.
  • * Shakespeare
  • A cry more tunable / Was never hollaed to, nor cheered with horn.
    (Milton)
  • (obsolete, derogatory) A pack or company of people.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Would not this get me a fellowship in a cry of players?
  • (ambitransitive, of an animal) A typical sound made by the species in question.
  • "Woof" is the cry of a dog, while "neigh" is the cry of a horse.
  • A desperate or urgent request.
  • (obsolete) Common report; gossip.
  • * Shakespeare
  • The cry goes that you shall marry her.

    Derived terms

    * battle cry * hue and cry * war cry

    See also

    * breastfeeding * crocodile tears

    References

    * * *

    Statistics

    *