clamor

¹ American  

[klam-er] / ˈklæm ər /

especially British, clamour

noun

• clamors
  plural

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.

---

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.

---

Spelling

See -or.

Synonym Usage

See noise.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• clamorer
  noun
• clamorist
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clamors
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of clamor¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English clamor (from Anglo-French ), from Latin, equivalent to clām- ( see 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”

---

Explanation

To clamor is to make a demand — LOUDLY. It's usually a group that clamors — like Americans might clamor for comprehensive health care coverage. The noun clamor is often used specifically to describe a noisy outcry from a group of people, but more generally, the word means any loud, harsh sound. You could describe the clamor of sirens in the night or the clamor of the approaching subway in the tunnel.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clamor clamors

More airlines are looking to add the SpaceX-owned satellite internet to their fleets as passengers clamor for fast and reliable wifi/

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

Some airlines are chomping at the bit to link up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, as passengers clamor for access to quick and reliable in-flight wifi.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

This year the clamor is louder, more aggressive, and tinged with showy economic threats.

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

Industry executives say caterers now clamor for foie gras to add a luxurious touch to weddings and banquets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

At last the entire building was still and the clamor from the village had subsided as well.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry

Mr. Cohen advised Silicon Valley Bank as it scrambled for a buyer and has been counseling First Republic as it clamors for a lifeline.

From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2023

Though the company still clamors for government funding and sometimes makes bold predictions it doesn’t actually see through, SpaceX continues to defy expectations with each new accomplishment.

From The Verge ● Nov. 1, 2021

“Everyone in the industry clamors to get inside that ballroom for the Golden Globes,” said one longtime publicist who was not authorized to comment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2021

The Belle Isle Nature Center, where the whole family clamors for a chance to feed the white fallow deer, descendants of the original population gifted to the Isle from French President François-Félix Faure in 1895.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 25, 2018

But the Sire of La Tremouille himself inclines to yielding to these clamors.

From The Executioner's Knife Or Joan of Arc by Eug?ne Sue

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---