clamor

¹ American  

[klam-er] / ˈklæm ər /

especially British, clamour

noun

1. a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people.

   the clamor of the crowd at the gates.

2. a vehement expression of desire or dissatisfaction.

   the clamor of the proponents of the law.

   Synonyms:

   vociferation

3. popular outcry.

   The senators could not ignore the clamor against higher taxation.

4. any loud and continued noise: the clamor of birds and animals in the zoo.

   the clamor of traffic;

   the clamor of birds and animals in the zoo.

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verb (used without object)

1. to make a clamor; raise an outcry.

verb (used with object)

1. to drive, force, influence, etc., by clamoring.

   The newspapers clamored him out of office.

2. to utter noisily.

   They clamored their demands at the meeting.

clamor ² American  

[klam-er] / ˈklæm ər /

verb (used with object)

Obsolete.

1. to silence.

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Spelling

See -or.

Related Words

See noise.

Other Word Forms

• clamorer noun
• clamorist noun

Etymology

Origin of clamor¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English clamor (from Anglo-French ), from Latin, equivalent to clām- ( claim ) + -or -or ¹; Middle English clamour, from Middle French, from Latin clāmōr- (stem of clāmor )

Origin of clamor²

First recorded in 1605–15; perhaps spelling variant of clammer, obsolete variant of clamber in sense “to clutch,” hence “reduce to silence”

Example Sentences

From Davos to Munich and across the capitals of the old Continent, the clamor is rising to a crescendo.

From The Wall Street Journal

Inside Zona 7, about 60 inmates remain, along with hundreds more countrywide for whose release family members have been clamoring for weeks.

From Barron's

It’s obvious why companies want to sell century bonds, but not why some investors clamor to buy them.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet despite the steep price tag, sales remain brisk, reflecting a global clamor that has seen some 500 million requests for tickets according to FIFA.

From Barron's

Your co-workers don’t clamor to chat with a tube rider.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• agitation
• brouhaha
• buzz
• ferment
• hubbub
• noise
• outcry
• ruckus
• tumult
• upheaval
• uproar