wail

Compared meaning: to cry, produce tears (verb).

比较义项：哭泣、流泪（动词）。

• cry

  The plain, everyday word for producing tears and sad sounds; neutral in tone, with no built-in sense of loudness, quietness, or particular manner — fits almost any ordinary situation.

  最普通、日常的“哭”，指流泪并发出悲伤的声音；语气中性，不特别表示声音大小、安静与否或哭泣方式，几乎适用于任何一般情形。

  Newborn babies cry to tell their parents they are hungry or tired.

  新生儿哭是为了告诉父母自己饿了或累了。

• sob

  Emphasizes the physical manner of crying: noisy, broken breathing with gasps, often with shaking shoulders; usually describes sudden or intense emotion, and sounds informal and vivid.

  强调哭泣时的身体方式：呼吸断续、带着抽气声，常伴有肩膀颤抖；多用于形容突然或强烈的情绪，语气比较口语化、生动。

  She sobbed into her hands, her shoulders shaking as she gasped for breath.

  她双手捂脸啜泣，肩膀随着喘息不断颤抖。

• weep

  A more formal or literary word, often suggesting quiet, steadily flowing tears without loud noise; common in serious, solemn, or written contexts rather than casual speech.

  语气更正式、更书面化的词，常表示眼泪安静地持续流下，不带大声的哭声；多用于严肃、庄重或书面语境，而非日常口语。

  He stood at the grave and wept silently, tears rolling down his cheeks.

  他站在墓前默默哭泣，泪水顺着脸颊滑落。

• wail 本词

  Describes loud, prolonged, high-pitched crying, as from a baby or someone in great pain or grief; much louder and more sustained than ordinary crying.

  指大声、持续、音调很高的哭泣，常见于婴儿或极度痛苦、悲伤的人；比一般的哭泣声音大得多、持续得多。

  The baby wailed for almost an hour, refusing to be comforted by anyone.

  那个婴儿恸哭了将近一个小时，谁都无法安抚他。

Cry, sob, weep, and wail all mean to produce tears. Cry is the plain, everyday word, fitting any situation. Sob means noisy, broken breathing while crying. Weep is more literary, meaning quiet, steady tears without noise. Wail means loud, high-pitched crying, as from pain.

这四个词在“流泪哭泣”这一义项上意思相近，但语气和哭泣方式不同：cry最普通中性，sob强调抽泣喘气的哭法，weep偏书面、安静，wail则指大声持续的哭声。这里不比较cry作“喊叫、呼喊”的意思，也不比较wail作名词“（警报器等的）长鸣声”的意思。