Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Having branches or flower heads that bend downward: Describes plants, especially trees, whose branches or flowers hang down in a drooping manner.
   • Showing sorrow; shedding tears: Describes the act of crying or expressing grief.

2. Noun:

   • The process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds): The act or sound of crying.

Usage Examples

• Adjective:

  • The weeping willow tree provided shade by the pond. (Describes the tree's characteristic drooping branches.)
  • She gave a weeping apology for her mistake. (Describes her apology as being made while crying.)

• Noun:

  • The sound of a child's weeping could be heard from the next room. (Refers to the act/sound of crying.)
  • Her quiet weeping lasted for hours. (Refers to the prolonged state of crying.)

Advanced Usage

• "Weeping" as a participial adjective: Often used to describe things that resemble the act of crying or drooping.
  • The statue had weeping eyes, carved to look like tears were flowing. (Describes a visual resemblance to crying.)
  • The weeping rock formation was damp with condensation. (Describes a natural feature that appears to be "sweating" or dripping water.)

Variants and Related Words

• Weep (verb): To shed tears; to cry.
  • She began to weep when she heard the sad news.
• Weepy (adjective, informal): Inclined to weep; tearful, or something that induces tears.
  • It was a weepy romantic movie.

Synonyms

• Adjective (for drooping): Drooping, pendulous, nodding.
• Adjective/Noun (for crying): Crying, sobbing, lamenting, tearful.

Related Phrases

• Weeping and wailing: An idiom describing loud, demonstrative crying and expressions of grief.
  • There was weeping and wailing at the funeral.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The primary distinction is between the botanical meaning (describing physical drooping) and the emotional meaning (related to crying). Context always clarifies which meaning is intended. For example, "weeping willow" exclusively uses the botanical meaning, while "weeping child" uses the emotional meaning.

Adjective

1. having branches or flower heads that bend downward
   • nodding daffodils
   • the pendulous branches of a weeping willow
   • lilacs with drooping panicles of fragrant flowers
2. showing sorrow

Noun

1. the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
   • I hate to hear the crying of a child
   • she was in tears