shout
Americanverb (used without object)
-
shouts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shouted,
past participle, past
-
shouting
present participle
-
to call or cry out loudly and vigorously.
- Synonyms:
- exclaim, vociferate, yell
- Antonyms:
- whisper
-
to speak or laugh noisily or unrestrainedly.
verb (used with object)
-
shouts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shouted,
past participle, past
-
shouting
present participle
-
to utter or yell (something) loudly.
-
Australian. to treat (another) to a drink, meal, amusement, or the like.
noun
-
shouts
plural
-
a loud call or cry.
He gave a shout for help.
-
a sudden loud outburst, as of laughter.
-
the act of calling or crying out loudly.
noun
-
a loud cry, esp to convey emotion or a command
-
informal
-
a round, esp of drinks
-
one's turn to buy a round of drinks
-
-
informal a greeting (to family, friends, etc) sent to a radio station for broadcasting
-
informal an occasion on which the members of an emergency service are called out on duty
verb
-
to utter (something) in a loud cry; yell
-
(intr) to make a loud noise
-
informal (tr) to treat (someone) to (something), esp a drink
Synonym Usage
See cry.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shoutsimple
-
shoutssimple
-
have shoutedperfect
-
has shoutedperfect
-
am shoutingprogressive
-
are shoutingprogressive
-
is shoutingprogressive
-
have been shoutingperfect progressive
-
has been shoutingperfect progressive
Past
-
shoutedsimple
-
had shoutedperfect
-
was shoutingprogressive
-
were shoutingprogressive
-
had been shoutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shout
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English shoute (noun), shouten (verb); compare Old Norse skūta “to scold, chide,” skūti, skūta “a taunt”
Explanation
When you shout, you speak or call out loudly. If you get trapped in the coat closet during a game of hide-and-seek, just shout for help — you'll be set free, but you'll also be "it." Sometimes people shout simply because they have a booming speaking voice; you might hold your phone far from your ear when you call your grandma, who tends to shout. You can also shout in anger or fear or even joy: "My cousin jumped up with a happy shout when I surprised him at his birthday party." Experts disagree on the origin of shout, but some guess it's connected to shoot, as in "throw the voice out loudly."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"We need to shout out their names," Piraei added.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
"She was killed on the street. She had gone to the street for change, to shout 'freedom'," her daughter Mahsa Piraei, who lives outside Iran, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
They heard a shout and initially thought someone had died but then saw the smoke.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Linda Cardellini knew something was up when a random stranger would shout “Strawberry Breeze!” as she was crossing the street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
That shout of joy hadn't done anything to help matters.
From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville
When Alex Gibney’s film production “Musk” premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday, it received a five-minute standing ovation, shouts of “thank you” from the audience and endless play across social media.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
Daniela Largo, 32, was pulled from the debris on Tuesday in the city of Pereira to shouts of joy and applause, becoming a symbol of hope for a nation reeling from Monday's disaster.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
At the end, the entire block shouts the only lyric required.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
"Leave now!" shouts an understandably irritable officer as he drives past.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Alex shouts for my help, and DD laughs gleefully.
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Landry and Howery appeared for photo ops and opened a new, bigger consulate building, as protesters shouted outside.
From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026
According to prosecutors, McGuire threw the bag and shouted, “Liberty or death.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
Yet the loud warnings being shouted by some inside the companies themselves are proof that the dangers of proceeding—against a backdrop of almost no regulation—are potentially immense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
He dropped to his knees, then sprang up, punched his fist into the air and shouted: "We have done it."
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
At last some of the names I had shouted out began to return.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
If we only focus on shouting the loudest, nothing will ever change.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The actor, who presented the award for directing for a comedy series, promptly made himself at home, shouting out, “Donde ‘tan los Latinos?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
During Friday's conference, a protestor was escorted out after jumping on stage and shouting, while wearing a t-shirt that said "kids deserve better."
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Carson Daly shouting to be heard over an audience of excited adolescents.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
Some of them recognize her, and soon they’re shouting hello and holding up their hands for her to slap.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
