aloud
Americanadverb
-
with the normal tone and volume of the speaking voice, as distinguished from whisperingly.
They could not speak aloud in the library.
-
vocally, as distinguished from mentally.
He read the book aloud.
-
with a loud voice; loudly.
to cry aloud in grief.
adverb
-
in a normal voice; not in a whisper
-
in a spoken voice; not silently
-
archaic in a loud voice
Etymology
Origin of aloud
Explanation
If you read something aloud you use your voice, not just your eyes. You might feel shy reading your poems aloud in front of strangers. Aloud used to mean "very loudly," but now we use it to mean "speaking voice" as opposed to the silent voice of our thoughts. You might have to read something aloud to your grandmother if she's having trouble with her eyes. If you accidentally said something that you meant to keep to yourself, you were thinking aloud. If something is terribly painful, you might cry aloud — unable to contain yourself.
Vocabulary lists containing aloud
Commonly Confused Words, List 3
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Commonly Confused Words, List 6
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Commonly Confused Words, List 8
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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.
Some of their 100,000 exchanged text messages were read aloud in court.
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
I read such stories aloud and adhered to commanding officers’ warnings to keep “notes to the boat” free of any references to stress at home, lest we lower troop morale.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
On late night television, Jimmy Kimmel wondered aloud why we’re not taking the issue more seriously, offering the theory that, “It’s too much for us to wrap our heads around.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
He read aloud an answer he had received after asking ChatGPT to estimate the risks if the race toward increasingly powerful AI continued with little regulation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
“Goodness, I can’t tell you what a relief it is to speak these things aloud, Colonel. The Secrets Act is most exhausting.”
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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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.
