cries for help
Urgent rescue requests
Cries for help are urgent appeals for assistance, whether literal screams during emergencies or figurative signals of distress.
The phrase often describes behaviors that indirectly communicate suffering: Her erratic outbursts were cries for help.
A cry for help may go unrecognized when it takes forms other than direct requests—substance abuse, self-harm, or withdrawal can all function as cries for help.
- sosDistress signal, lowercased
- maydayRadio emergency signal
- screamLoud sharp cry
- silent screamInaudible expression of terror
- drowningDeath by water inhalation
needs · plea · cry for attention · distress · desperate plea · smoke signal · red flag · cry · alarm · rescue · white flag · last resort · flare · beseech · silent protest · anguish · yelp · despair
cries, cried, crying, crier, help, helps, helped, helping, helper