weep

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /wiːp/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like whip /ɪ/ vs /iː/

Freq #7733

Meanings

1

verb
To cry, especially quietly and with deep feeling.

She wept with joy when she saw her son again.
2

noun
A spell of crying.

Sometimes you just need to have a good weep.
3

verb
To slowly give off liquid in small amounts, such as a wound or a wall.

The cut was still weeping a little blood.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to cry, especially quietly... cry

More beweep greet wail

Opposites

laugh

Word family

Forms a-weepingweepingweepswept

Derived forms beweepforweepweepholeweepy

Related forms complain crybaby

Appears in

Proverbs (1)

See all

Laugh and the world laughs with you
Matching variant: Laugh and the world laughs with you; weep and you weep alone

Simplified etymology

Weep is Germanic in origin, from Old English wēpan. It was probably formed in imitation of the sound of moaning or sobbing, although it now usually denotes the relatively silent shedding of tears.

Etymology

From Middle English wepen, from Old English wēpan (“to weep, complain, bewail, mourn over, deplore”), from Proto-West Germanic *wōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *wōpijaną (“to weep”), from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂b- (“to call, cry, complain”). Cognate with Scots weep (“to weep”), Saterland Frisian wapia (“to cry, complain”), Icelandic æpa (“to yell, shout”), Proto-Slavic *vъpiti (“to weep”).

wepen Middle English wēpan Old English *wōpijan Proto-West Germanic *wōpijaną Proto-Germanic *weh₂b- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# weep

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /wiːp/
**Frequency rank:** 7733

## Meanings
1. To cry, especially quietly and with deep feeling.
2. A spell of crying.
3. To slowly give off liquid in small amounts, such as a wound or a wall.

## Examples
- She wept with joy when she saw her son again.
- Sometimes you just need to have a good weep.
- The cut was still weeping a little blood.

## Synonyms
- beweep
- cry
- greet
- wail

## Antonyms
- laugh

## Derived Forms
- beweep
- forweep
- weephole
- weepy

## Related Forms
- complain
- crybaby

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: wepen
- Root: wēpan
- Root: *wōpijan
- Root: *wōpijaną
- Root: *weh₂b-

## Etymology
From Middle English wepen, from Old English wēpan (“to weep, complain, bewail, mourn over, deplore”), from Proto-West Germanic *wōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *wōpijaną (“to weep”), from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂b- (“to call, cry, complain”). Cognate with Scots weep (“to weep”), Saterland Frisian wapia (“to cry, complain”), Icelandic æpa (“to yell, shout”), Proto-Slavic *vъpiti (“to weep”).

## AI Etymology
Weep is from Middle English wepen, from Old English wēpan (“to weep, complain, bewail, mourn over, deplore”), from Proto-West Germanic *wōpijan, from Proto-Germanic *wōpijaną (“to weep”), from Proto-Indo-European *weh₂b- (“to call, cry, complain”). Cognate with Scots weep (“to weep”), Saterland Frisian wapia (“to cry, complain”), Icelandic æpa (“to yell, shout”), Proto-Slavic *vъpiti (“to weep”). Important historical forms include Middle English wepen, Old English wēpan, Proto-West Germanic *wōpijan, Proto-Germanic *wōpijaną, and Proto-Indo-European *weh₂b-. In present-day use, it can mean to cry, especially quietly and with deep feeling, or a spell of crying.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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