Meaning of ‘Cry Wolf’
The phrase ‘cry wolf‘ means to make false claims about something urgent or dangerous, resulting in people believing there is a problem even though there isn’t one. If this sort of behavior happens frequently enough, it may cause people to stop taking the cries for help seriously, even if it’s genuine, because they think it’s just another false alarm.
Example: He was always crying wolf about being sick, and now his friends don’t know when to take him seriously or not.
Similar Phrases: blowing things out of proportion, boy who cried wolf, false alarm, making a mountain out of a molehill
Related Idioms:
I’m being completely sincere when I say this—there’s a lot more common idioms to discover! Check out our Popular Idioms and Phrases Starting With C page for a full list of them.
The Origin of ‘Cry Wolf’
The origin of the saying ‘cry wolf’ is believed to be from Aesop, a Greek fabulist who is said to have lived around the time of 620 to 560 BCE. He wrote a number of different fables known collectively as Aesop’s Fables.
One of the stories credited to his name is called The Boy Who Cried Wolf. This story tells of a young boy who was given the responsibility of watching over some sheep for the night. The boy eventually grew bored with his assignment and thought it would be rather humorous if he pretended to be in danger, so he started to cry “wolf, wolf!” His plan worked, as the people nearby heard his cries for help and came rushing to lend their support. But they soon learned it was all a silly ruse.
After this repeated a few more times, the people stopped listening to the boy. They no longer responded to him when they heard him yelling. Later, a real wolf showed up! Now the boy and the sheep were in actual danger, so he started to cry for help. But it was too late, because nobody would listen to him any longer.
The moral of the The Boy Who Cried Wolf story is that when someone constantly lies, they lose the trust of others. Thus, the phrase ‘crying wolf’ is thought to have originated from this story; it references the lying boy.
Example Sentences
Here are a few helpful usage cases for how to use this phrase in sentences.
Examples:
1. I initially thought my wife was crying wolf when she kept going on about seeing a mouse in the kitchen, but she was totally right!
2. Even though he was financially stable, he kept crying wolf about being broke and not having enough to pay his bills.
Examples That Use Similar Phrases:
1. When I smelled smoke, I was worried that my house was burning down, but it was just a false alarm.
2. She often says that her computer is breaking down, but I think she’s blowing things out of proportion.
3. Are you really in need of help, or are you yet again making a mountain out of a molehill?
See More Phrases: The expression ‘crying wolf’ is an animal-related idiom, and there are others like it. In fact, we have a list of animal phrases that’s filled with common expressions related to dogs, cats, and plenty more.