'Pucker its lips' versus 'Purse its lips'

[Tom]

Hi

I would like to know if a child puckers his lips to cry or purses his lips to cry!

Thanks

Tom

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

I'd say purse could work with the idea of what lips look like just prior to crying.

In connection with crying, I'd say pucker could possibly be used to describe the whole face (the forehead in particular). But, you could also use it to describe the lips.

You have to be careful with the word pucker, though. Used in connection with lips, the word pucker is very strongly associated with kissing.

Amy
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English