Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

crocodile tear

/ˈkɹɒ.kə.daɪl ˌtɪə(ɹ)/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.43 in modern English

Syllables: crocodile tear
IPA: /ˈkɹɒ.kə.daɪl ˌtɪə(ɹ)/

18

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

1

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A tear shed insincerely, in a false display of sorrow or some other emotion.

noun

A display of tears that is forced or false.

Example Sentences

"At last he contrived to squeeze out one of his little hysterical tears, and drop it on her hand. Now, the girl was not butter, like some of her sex; far from it: but neither was she wood—indeed, she was not old enough for that—so this crocodile tear won her for the time being."
"And in all her letters since, she had spoken of her aunt as a silly, vain, worldly woman, weeping crocodile tears, for an old husband whose death had released her from the tedium of his company."

Etymology

From the ancient belief that crocodiles shed tears while consuming their prey.

Inflected Forms

crocodile tears (plural)

Phrases

artificial tear turn on the waterworks white women tears

Frequently Paired Words

artificial tear hypocrisy insincerity turn on the waterworks white women tears

Questions

How do you pronounce crocodile tear?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɹɒ.kə.daɪl ˌtɪə(ɹ)/.
What does crocodile tear mean?: A tear shed insincerely, in a false display of sorrow or some other emotion.
Where does crocodile tear come from?: From the ancient belief that crocodiles shed tears while consuming their prey.

How to pronounce crocodile tear

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “crocodile tear”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɹɒ.kə.daɪl ˌtɪə(ɹ)/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “crocodile tear”.
Repeat and practice — Say “crocodile tear” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.