French word

chialer

Pronunciation

IPA/ʃjale/

Meaning

  • verbcry

Example

Il commence à chialer.

He starts crying.

Illustration for chialer (cry)

More examples

Il n'arrête pas de chialer depuis ce matin.

He hasn't stopped whining since this morning.

Core concept

A voice and face spilling out tears, whining, and loud complaints instead of holding them in.

Common phrases

  • chialer comme un bébé

    whine like a baby

  • arrêter de chialer

    stop whining

  • se mettre à chialer

    start whining

Similar words

pleurer: To shed tears from sadness or pain.
sangloter: To sob with short, strained breaths.
pleurnicher: To whine or complain in a childish, tearful way.
chouiner: To whine or cry softly in a nasal voice.

Definition in French

Pleurer ou manifester son mécontentement à voix haute de façon familière, souvent sous forme de plainte ou de gémissement.

Word origin

Chialer is a colloquial form related to French chiauler, an imitative verb for a whining or mewling sound.

Usage tips

  • Chialer is familiar and can sound pejorative, so pleurer or se plaindre is safer in formal contexts.

Other meanings

  • complainverb
  • bawlverb

Opposites

  • rirelaughverb
  • se réjouirrejoiceverb

Related words

  • chialeriewhiningnoun
  • chialantwhinyadjective

Word lists with this word