bursts into tears
Starts crying suddenly
To burst into tears is to begin crying suddenly and intensely, often from overwhelming emotion: She burst into tears when she heard the news.
The phrase suggests crying that comes on abruptly rather than building gradually—joy, grief, frustration, or relief spilling over all at once.
- cryingEmotional tear release
- ugly cryingUncontrolled, unflattering sobbing
- wailProlonged mournful cry
- weepingShedding tears audibly
- breaks downStops functioning properly
sobbing · lament · distraught · mourn · heartbroken · apologies · arguments · hiccupping · relief · despair · disappointment · guilt · elation · chest tightness · grief-stricken · nasal congestion · joy · sniffling
emotional control
bursts into tearsholds it together
Maintains stability or composure
soldiers on · keeps it together · deadpan · poker face · stone-faced
burst, bursting, tear, tears, tearful, tearfully, tearfulness, teary, teared