yell
Americanverb (used without object)
-
yells,
present (3rd person singular)
-
yelled,
past participle, past
-
yelling
present participle
-
to cry out or speak with a strong, loud, clear sound; shout.
He always yells when he is angry.
-
to scream with pain, fright, etc.
verb (used with object)
-
yells,
present (3rd person singular)
-
yelled,
past participle, past
-
yelling
present participle
noun
-
yells
plural
-
a cry uttered by yelling.
-
a cheer or shout of fixed words or syllables, as one adopted by a school or college to encourage a team.
verb
noun
-
a loud piercing inarticulate cry, as of pain, anger, or fear
-
a rhythmic cry of words or syllables, used in cheering in unison
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
yellsimple
-
yellssimple
-
have yelledperfect
-
has yelledperfect
-
am yellingprogressive
-
are yellingprogressive
-
is yellingprogressive
-
have been yellingperfect progressive
-
has been yellingperfect progressive
Past
-
yelledsimple
-
had yelledperfect
-
was yellingprogressive
-
were yellingprogressive
-
had been yellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of yell
First recorded before 1000; (for the verb) Middle English yellen, Old English gellan, giellan; cognate with German gellen to resound, Dutch gillen; akin to Old English galan “to sing” ( see nightingale); noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
To yell is to call or cry out loudly. You might yell across a loud cafeteria to get your friend's attention, or yell at your sister for borrowing your favorite sweater. Use the word yell as a verb or noun to describe the noise someone makes when they holler or shout. You can yell with enthusiasm, the way a crowd at a sporting event does, or in anger, like an irate driver yelling out the car window. A yell can express surprise, fury, or delight — but it's always loud. The Old English root is galan, "to sing."
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:
“The only consequence is that people might yell at me online.”
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
So there are different ways to fight, and here’s what I’d say to a lot of people: If somebody’s yelling, and you yell back, then nobody can hear a thing.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
The sets have too many doors, the scenes have a delirious number of extras and the actors yell their lines over the distracting clatter of crackling fireplaces, beeping machines and ticking clocks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2026
They made a U-turn after hearing someone yell Tupac’s name and seeing the BMW he was traveling in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Jack heard May yell until the wind in his ears and the growing distance from the princess wiped out the last of her scream.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Boos against opponents and bad referee and yells at your side to do better was the Spirit moving you to testify.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
To wit, a man catcalls her as she walks past and she yells, “I object!”
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
“Class of 1975,” yells someone from the crowd.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
“The Knicks just won a championship, we were so happy,” she yells out, petting her dog.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Students move while the music is playing and freeze when the music stops or the teacher yells out a command.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
“I think we traded up!” she yelled to howls and horns thrown in the audience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
I was idling through a no-wake zone near Holden Beach, N.C., on my way to the fueling dock when some joker in a sportfishing boat yelled out, “Hey, man, what’d ya pay for that thing?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
A fan appeared to throw a water bottle at the glass window, while others yelled and displayed their own middle fingers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
“You remember, don’t you, Mr. Cosby?” she yelled across the courtroom.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2018
One of the male mediums yelled out, “Don’t, I don’t want to, leave me alone,” before being dragged into a closet and locked in by unseen forces.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
“Even when everyone is yelling at me, people will hear what I’m saying.”
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
Connor Thompson told the BBC's US partner CBS News that he was in line for the ride when everyone started "yelling, clearly distressed".
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Gold!” he kept yelling, “Gold from the American River!”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
When is yelling at an official ever appropriate?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
The giant apparently didn’t like Jack’s yelling, though, as it began to wiggle its fingers back and forth.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
