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

In this era of tight French budgets, the clamor in much of the country now is for spending to expand the ranks of firefighters and buy more equipment — aircraft, trucks, whatever it takes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

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

From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026

Adding to the clamor on social media, OpenAI on Tuesday updated its website with a post that reiterated its own warnings against investing through SPVs.

From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

One of Morgant’s warriors, hearing the clamor, had given the alarm.

From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander

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

Here is a closer look at what is known about the incident, the records and what is being done to make them public as a grieving community clamors for more information.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 2, 2022

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

In recent years, winemakers have responded to a market that clamors for the palest of pale pinks to drink the year after harvest.

From Washington Post ● May 6, 2021

I shall go out to-night when the streets are full of crowds and clamors, and make a last effort to escape.

From The Three Impostors or The Transmutations by Arthur Machen

Related Words

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