What does weep mean?
Weep means to shed tears, usually because of sadness, grief, fear, or an intense feeling such as joy. In everyday speech, cry is more common, while weep often has a more formal, literary, or solemn tone. The verb can also be used figuratively for mourning or expressing strong emotion, as in a story about people weeping for joy. In descriptions of buildings, rocks, or other surfaces, it means to release or exude moisture slowly. This use may suggest a slow, continuous movement of water and can give an image a mournful or atmospheric quality. Although weep is familiar in English, its more expressive register distinguishes it from the broader and more neutral word cry. It is especially useful in narrative, poetry, formal reporting, and evocative descriptions of people or places.
verbTo shed tears, especially as a sign of sorrow, grief, or overwhelming emotion. It can also describe a surface that slowly releases moisture.
- To shed tears as a result of sadness, grief, joy, or another strong emotion.
- To cry or mourn for someone or something.
- To release or exude moisture slowly, especially from a surface such as a wall or rock.
"She began to weep as she read the letter from her oldest daughter."
"The mourners gathered around the grave and wept quietly."
"Moisture continued to weep through the old stone wall."
The same word that means to cry can also describe a wall that slowly releases moisture, as though the building itself were weeping.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of weep
Weep descends from Old English wēpan, a Germanic verb meaning to cry or shed tears. It has close parallels in German weinen, Dutch wenen, and Old Norse væpa, all belonging to the same Germanic family of expressions for weeping. Modern forms such as wept and weeping developed through the regular inflection of the Old English verb.
Related word forms
How weep is actually used
Weep is more formal and literary than the everyday verb cry. It is commonly used in emotional, ceremonial, or poetic contexts, while the sense of a surface releasing moisture is especially associated with architecture, geology, and descriptive writing.