Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cry cupboard

/kɹaɪ ˈkʌbəɹd/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.41 in modern English

Syllables: cry cup-board
IPA: /kɹaɪ ˈkʌbəɹd/

23

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Chiefly of one's stomach: to need or want food; to show signs of hunger; to hunger.

Archaic; Intransitive verb; Obsolete

Example Sentences

"My belly cries Cup⸗board; […]"
"Footman. Madam, Dinner's upon the Table. / Col[onel]. Faith, I am glad of it; my Belly began to cry Cupboard."
"[Mr. Joceline] aſſured them his great guts vvere ready to eat up his little ones, that they had cried cupboard ſome time, I'cod the hounds and I ſhall be famiſh'd; […]"
"[S]hould his head ach or his ſtomach cry cupboard, the uneaſineſs of that might drive him into a nevv courſe of action different from that he had determined upon before."
"Let's see what prog we have for supper; the kettle has boiled long enough; my stomach cries cupboard; and I'll warrant our guest is in no mood to dally with his trencher."
"I'm rayther peckish—my stomick's bin a-crying cupboard for a hour past."

Etymology

From cry (verb) + cupboard (“(by extension) food, provisions”, noun), probably comparing one’s stomach growling from hunger to a person calling out for food which is traditionally stored in a cupboard.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /kɹaɪ ˈkʌbəɹd/
British English: /kɹaɪ ˈkʌbəd/

Usage

Inflected Forms

cries cupboard (present, singular) crying cupboard (participle, present) cried cupboard (participle, past) cried cupboard (past)

Phrases

cry poormouth

Frequently Paired Words

cry poormouth

Rhymes With

cupboard hubbard

Questions

How do you pronounce cry cupboard?: The recorded pronunciation is /kɹaɪ ˈkʌbəɹd/.
What does cry cupboard mean?: Chiefly of one's stomach: to need or want food; to show signs of hunger; to hunger.
Where does cry cupboard come from?: From cry (verb) + cupboard (“(by extension) food, provisions”, noun), probably comparing one’s stomach growling from hunger to a person calling out for food which is traditionally stored in a cupboard.

How to pronounce cry cupboard

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “cry cupboard”.
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