cry uncle
cry uncle · cries uncle · cried uncle · crying uncle
To beg for mercy; to give up, admit defeat, surrender; indicate submission, such as…To beg for mercy; to give up, admit defeat, surrender; indicate submission, such as when wrestling.
Meaning
1 senses(US, colloquial)To beg for mercy; to give up, admit defeat, surrender; indicate submission, such as when wrestling.
Origin
Unknown. Uncle may be an anglicization of Irish anacal (“protection”).Unknown. Uncle may be an anglicization of Irish anacal (“protection”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
cries uncle, crying uncle, cried uncle, cried uncle| Base form | cry uncle · to cry uncle |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | cries uncle |
| Present participle | crying uncle |
| Past simple | cried uncle |
| Past participle | cried uncle |
irregular
Synonyms
2 synonymsWord family
1 related wordsRelatedsafeword
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.