cry uncle
(US, colloquial) To beg for mercy; to give up, admit defeat, surrender; indicate submission, such as when wrestling.
Seen in the wild
In hockey you cry uncle, when you wanna whack a guy in the mob you say 86 em, when you hide your name in the Epstein files you say "cat got your tongue?", when you're trying to warm up in the winter you use "going up…
Also, "cry uncle" has zero affiliation with hockey.
🐱😈 Grandpa... We've talked about this. Using the 'cry uncle' bit just makes you look more like a creep than you already are.
I don't cry uncle but i do laugh auntie
Well , that is truly an interesting wartime strategy. ”Cry uncle & we’ll stop this insane whimsy war you forced us into by letting us rip up the treaties we negotiated with you to ensure peace…”
Definitions
(US, colloquial) To beg for mercy; to give up, admit defeat, surrender; indicate submission, such as when wrestling.
“Well , that is truly an interesting wartime strategy. ”Cry uncle & we’ll stop this insane whimsy war you forced us into by letting us rip up the treaties we negotiated with you to ensure peace…””
“In hockey you cry uncle, when you wanna whack a guy in the mob you say 86 em, when you hide your name in the Epstein files you say "cat got your tongue?", when you're trying to warm up in the winter you use "going up in flames"...”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Also, "cry uncle" has zero affiliation with hockey.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“🐱😈 Grandpa... We've talked about this. Using the 'cry uncle' bit just makes you look more like a creep than you already are.”
— Bluesky· May 2026“I don't cry uncle but i do laugh auntie”
— Bluesky· May 2026“Well , that is truly an interesting wartime strategy. ”Cry uncle & we’ll stop this insane whimsy war you forced us into by letting us rip up the treaties we negotiated with you to ensure peace…””
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "cry uncle".
🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "cry uncle" (C)
Browse all slang words starting with C.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- cry off65%
(intransitive, slang) To confess; to snitch or inform on (someone).
- scrike62%
(Mancunian) To cry.
- cry harder62%
(internet slang) Used sarcastically to indicate indifference or schadenfreude, often as a reply to a statement that the speaker considers exaggerated or baseless.
- outcry62%
(countable, uncountable) A loud cry or uproar.
- cop out62%
To plead guilty and ask for mercy.