Word.ws English Dictionary

is someone cutting onions

is someone cutting onions phrase: drawing attention to somebody crying, or to a sad moment that makes one want to cry.

Phrase

is someone cutting onions?

  1. (humorous) Drawing attention to somebody crying, or to a sad moment that makes one want to cry.
    • “Is someone cutting onions?” They must be. I'm sure of it. I'm not much of a crier, and I'm the type who tends to bury her emotions as much as she can.2019, Chantal Fernando, Saint
    • She looks up at him and smiles, and he smiles back, and man, is someone cutting onions in here? My throat is tight and dry, and I'm so jealous of Margo and Mendel I can barely think.2023, Sara Waxelbaum, Brianna R. Shrum, Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl

Questions about is someone cutting onions

What does is someone cutting onions mean?
Is someone cutting onions means drawing attention to somebody crying, or to a sad moment that makes one want to cry.
What part of speech is is someone cutting onions?
Is someone cutting onions is a phrase.

Words near is someone cutting onions in the dictionary

  1. is part of life's rich pattern
  2. is part of life's rich tapestry
  3. is rid of
  4. is right
  5. is silent
  6. is someone cutting onions
  7. is someone's to lose
  8. is supposed to
  9. is taken ill
  10. is that a gun in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me
  11. is that so

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: is someone cutting onions (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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