weep for joy

weep for (someone or something)

1. To shed tears of sadness because of someone or something. She's up in her room weeping for her boyfriend. He just left for college this morning. Toddlers will weep for the smallest bump or scrape, then turn around the next moment laughing their heads off. Oh, for goodness' sake, what are you weeping for now?
2. To shed tears because of some very intense emotion. We all wept for joy to see our older brother again after four years in the army. The child wept for fear in the inky blackness of her grandmother's creaky old house.
3. To express grief, anguish, or emotional distress for, because of, or on behalf of someone or something. Plenty of politicians make a point of weeping for such tragedies in public, but few take any meaningful action to prevent them in the future. The whole city wept for the young man who was lost in the accident.
4. To desire or yearn for someone or something to a painful degree. I spent most of my adolescence and early 20s weeping for someone to call the love of my life. She's always wept for a big sister, and I think your friendship fulfills that need for her in some capacity.
See also: weep
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

weep for joy

Fig. to cry out of happiness. She was so happy, she wept for joy. We all wept for joy at the safe return of the child.
See also: joy, weep
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • weep for
  • weep for (someone or something)
  • weep over
  • weep over (someone or something)
  • weep about
  • weep about (someone or something)
  • in tears
  • bring-down
  • Downs
  • empty nest syndrome
References in classic literature
'God bless you, sir!' cried the grateful old woman, ready to weep for joy as she received her favourite from his arms.
"No mysteries, no cloak to hide one's self in, no cunning policy here; people laugh outright, they weep for joy here.
But he was suddenly taken away last September, I will shed a tear each day, till we meet again, then weep for joy when we do, Dad.
It's enough to make you weep for joy as you discover his treasure.
It's the film of the year - a movie to make you weep for joy. Drama comedy, Cert 15 Out of five: