cry wolf

Meaning

To raise a false alarm or ask for help when you do not actually need it. This behavior usually results in people ignoring you when you face a real emergency. The phrase originates from Aesop's famous fable about a shepherd boy.

Examples

• If you keep calling in sick when you're fine, you're going to cry wolf, and no one will believe you when you're actually ill.

  If you keep calling in sick when you're fine, you're going to cry wolf, and no one will believe you when you're actually ill.

• I don't want to cry wolf, but I think someone is trying to break into the back shed.

  I don't want to cry wolf, but I think someone is trying to break into the back shed.

• She cried wolf so many times about quitting her job that we all stopped taking her seriously.

  She cried wolf so many times about quitting her job that we all stopped taking her seriously.

• Don't cry wolf about your computer crashing unless it's actually completely unresponsive.

  Don't cry wolf about your computer crashing unless it's actually completely unresponsive.

• The car alarm has been crying wolf all night, so now everyone is just ignoring it.

  The car alarm has been crying wolf all night, so now everyone is just ignoring it.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ He is crying the wolf again.

  ✓ He is crying wolf again.

  The idiom is 'cry wolf' without the definite article 'the'.

• ✗ She cried a wolf about the deadline.

  ✓ She cried wolf about the deadline.

  Do not use an indefinite article ('a') before 'wolf' in this expression.

Related Expressions

Practice

• If you keep complaining about minor issues, you'll ___ and no one will help you when there's a real crisis.

  💡 To raise a false alarm.

  Show answer

  cry wolf

• I promise I'm not trying to ___, but there is a strange noise coming from the engine.

  💡 To warn of danger when there might not be any, though here the speaker is being cautious.

  Show answer

  cry wolf