1To shed tears; to cry or weep (because of sadness, pain, emotion, etc.).
映画の最後の場面で彼女は大声で泣いた。
She cried loudly at the final scene of the movie.
赤ちゃんはお腹がすくとよく泣く。
Babies often cry when they're hungry.
玉ねぎを切ると目が痛くて泣く。
Cutting onions makes my eyes burn and I cry.
彼は試験に落ちて、家でひとり泣いていた。
He failed the exam and was crying alone at home.
2To suffer from or be troubled by (usually used as '〜に泣く'): to be adversely affected by something.
地元の小さな店は家賃の高騰に泣いている。
The small local shop is suffering because of rising rent.
花粉症の人は春になると鼻水に泣く。
People with hay fever suffer from runny noses in spring.
その国は天然資源の不足に泣いている。
That country is suffering from a shortage of natural resources.
3To do something reluctantly or make sacrifices (often expressed as '泣く泣く〜する'): to accept something undesirable.
彼は泣く泣く会社を辞め、田舎に戻った。
He reluctantly quit the company and returned to the countryside.
売上が悪く、店主は泣く泣く従業員を減らした。
Sales were poor, and the owner reluctantly reduced staff.
予算上の理由で、私たちは泣く泣く計画を縮小した。
For budget reasons, we reluctantly scaled down the plan.
4To be put to shame or to lose one's reputation; a literary/formal sense meaning one's name or standing is disgraced (e.g., '〜の名が泣く').
こんな安っぽい作りでは、老舗の名が泣くというものだ。
With workmanship this cheap, it would shame the reputation of a storied old shop.
5To lament or bewail (transitive; to mourn or express deep sorrow over something).
彼女は夫の死を人目もはばからず泣いた。
She wept openly, mourning her husband's death without caring who saw.
詩人は滅びゆく故郷を歌に詠んで泣いた。
The poet lamented his dying homeland, mourning it in verse.