Irregular verb
The verb to weep
weep → wept → wept
B2Meaning: to cry, often with strong feeling · Type: irregular
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
I/you/we/they weep·he/she/it weeps - Past Simple:
wept(the vowel changes: ee → e) - Past participle:
wept(the same as the Past Simple) - -ing form:
weeping
Conjugation of the verb to weep
Present Simple
| I | weep |
| You | weep |
| He / She / It | weeps |
| We | weep |
| You (pl.) | weep |
| They | weep |
Past Simple
| I | wept |
| You | wept |
| He / She / It | wept |
| We | wept |
| You (pl.) | wept |
| They | wept |
All the forms of the verb to weep
Present Simple
Full pageweep / weeps
“She weeps for joy.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are weeping
“I am weeping with joy right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagewept
“He wept when he heard the news.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were weeping
“I was weeping with joy when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has wept
“I have already wept with joy.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad wept
“She had already wept with joy when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill weep
“I will weep with joy tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to weep
“I'm going to weep with joy this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould weep
“I would weep with joy if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to weep
1. Crying (strong feeling, literary)
- She wept tears of joy.
- He wept for hours.
2. Weeping willow
A weeping willow is a tree with long branches that hang down.
- A weeping willow grows by the river.
3. Weep over
Weep over something = to cry because of something sad.
- She wept over the loss.
Common mistakes to avoid
1. Weeped ❌
Weep → wept works like keep → kept, sleep → slept and sweep → swept. The long ee sound becomes a short e.
2. Weep or cry?
Cry is the everyday word: The baby is crying. Weep is literary, for strong feelings. In the Bible or in poems, you can read Jesus wept.
What's next?
You can conjugate to weep. Now say it out loud.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of weep?+
The Past Simple of weep is wept. The past participle is also wept. Weep → wept → wept. Other verbs in -eep do the same: keep → kept, sleep → slept, sweep → swept.
What is the difference between weep and cry?+
Both mean to have tears coming from your eyes. Cry is the normal word, in speech and in writing. Weep is literary: you find it in stories and poems, or for very strong feelings. In conversation, people always say cry.
What is a weeping willow?+
A weeping willow is a tree with long branches that hang down to the ground. They seem to “cry” towards the ground, so the tree has this name. It is very popular in parks and next to water.
Can you say weep over spilt milk?+
That is not the usual idiom. The fixed expression is (it's no use) crying over spilt milk. It means don't be sad about something you can't change. With weep, you could say: Don't weep over what is done.
Is it wept or weeped?+
Say wept. Weep is irregular, so weeped is wrong. It belongs to a small group of verbs in -eep with a past in -ept: keep → kept, sleep → slept, sweep → swept. But not all of them: beep and peep are regular (beeped, peeped).
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/weep
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.