Cry Wolf.
English
idiom
To give a false alarm; to warn of a danger that doesn't exist.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To give a false alarm; to warn of a danger that doesn't exist.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To raise a false alarm or warn about a danger that doesn’t actually exist.
When someone cries wolf, they claim there’s a problem or emergency when there isn’t one — and if they do it too often, people stop believing them when the real danger arrives.
It comes from the Aesop fable about a boy who repeatedly tricked villagers with false warnings.
"Raise the Alarm"
—
Warn people about a real and genuine danger or problem
"Make a Mountain out of a Molehill"
—
Exaggerate how serious a small but real problem actually is
"Cry Wolf"
—
Raise a false alarm that makes real warnings harder to believe
Should we tell the client their launch is at risk?
Let’s be sure first. If we cry wolf now and it’s fine, they won’t trust us when something really goes wrong.
I’m worried you’ve been crying wolf with your family. Now when you actually need help, they’re not taking you seriously.
I know. I’ve been overdramatic. I need to be more careful.
Why doesn’t anyone believe him when he says he’s sick?
Because he cried wolf too many times. He called in sick every other week and nothing was ever really wrong.
