Outcry Meaning

/ˈaʊtkɹaɪ/
C1

Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

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nounA loud cry or uproar.

nounA strong protest.

The sinking of the RMS Lusitania caused an international outcry.
Sami's shooting caused a public outcry.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The government's decision to raise taxes caused a huge public ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The government's decision to cut education funding sparked a public ____ from parents and teachers.

From Middle English outcry, outcri, outcrye, equivalent to out- + cry. The verb is from Middle English outcrien.

"The Western Region has sought approval for the withdrawal of passenger services between Ashchurch Junction and Upton-on-Severn. There was a proposal to withdraw the trains as long ago as 1951, but an outcry from Tewkesbury that it would suffer as a tourist centre secured a reprieve." — 1961 March, “Talking of trains”, in Trains Illustrated, page 134:
"This is a scorched earth policy, leaving Labour - which has made the right noises, but not loudly enough - with the job of picking up the pieces. Given the incoherence of the plans, the best hope is that the public outcry - even the Daily Telegraph is against them - delays them enough for a new government to rescue most of the ticket offices from closure, but this is no way to run a railway." — 2023 July 26, Christian Wolmar, “Closing ticket offices to lead to 'catch-22' for passengers”, in RAIL, number 988, page 43:
"I think any man who outcries against the power of the government in Germany soon ceases to cry at all, because he is crushed." — 1919, Debates in the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention, 1917-1918: Volume 1:
"[…] outcrying the clacking of train wheels, the shrill of the whistle […]" — 2003, Melvyn Bragg, Crossing the Lines, page 355:
"The dogs added their voices to the din, howling for hours, each trying to outcry the others." — 2007, Anthony Dalton, Alone Against the Arctic, page 104:

Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words

CEFR Practice Quiz
The government's decision to raise taxes caused a huge public ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The government's decision to cut education funding sparked a public ____ from parents and teachers.

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