clamor

¹

especially British, clam·our

[klam-er]

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.

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

[klam-er]

verb (used with object)

Obsolete.

1. to silence.

Spelling Note

See -or.

Other Word Forms

• clamorer noun
• clamorist noun

Word History and Origins

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”

Synonym Study

See noise.

Example Sentences

Most of the mmoatia fall into the sinking sands, whistling and clamoring for freedom.

Read more on Literature

The recent craze for revivals and re-releases has spurred something many fans have long clamored to see: Quentin Tarantino’s complete “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Bond funds are clamoring for the deal because it delivers high returns, or yields, typical of junk bonds but with protections associated with investment-grade credit ratings.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Experts say the resources are limited and oil majors may not clamor for leases that could ensnare them in the Golden State’s stringent environmental policies.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Instead, they’d rather beg for a halftime program that sounds so boring that even the people clamoring for it now probably won’t watch it when it happens.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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