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cry it out

B1 neutral mixed intransitive
In simple words

To cry until you feel better, or (for a baby) to be left to cry until it falls asleep on its own.

Literal meaning: To cry something ('it' = the emotion or distress) out of your system.

Meanings

1 B1 idiomatic neutral

To cry until a negative emotion has been fully expressed and released, leaving one feeling calmer.

"She locked herself in the bathroom and cried it out before facing the rest of the day."

Grammar: mixed
2 B2 idiomatic neutral

(Parenting) A sleep training method where a baby is left to cry without being immediately comforted, so that it learns to fall asleep independently.

"Their pediatrician suggested letting the baby cry it out, but they found it too difficult to ignore her cries."

Grammar: mixed
Usage notes

Used in two main contexts: (1) for adults, to release grief or sadness by crying fully; (2) in parenting, a sleep training method (also called the 'Ferber method' or 'CIO method') where parents let a baby cry until it self-soothes and falls asleep. The parenting sense is much discussed and can be controversial.

Commonly used with

grief sadness baby sleep training feelings emotion

Forms

Base
cry it out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
cries it out
he/she/it
Past simple
cried it out
yesterday
Past participle
cried it out
have + pp
-ing form
crying it out
continuous

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Synonyms

weep it out let it out release it have a good cry self-soothe

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