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clamor1

[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.
  3. popular outcry: The senators could not ignore the clamor against higher taxation.
  4. any loud and continued noise: the clamor of traffic; the clamor of birds and animals in the zoo.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to make a clamor; raise an outcry.
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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.
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Also especially British, clam·our.

Origin of clamor1

1350–1400; Middle English clamor (< Anglo-French) < Latin, equivalent to clām- (see claim) + -or -or1; Middle English clamour < Middle French < Latin clāmōr- (stem of clāmor)
Related formsclam·or·er, clam·or·ist, noun

Synonyms

1. shouting. 2. vociferation. 4. See noise.

Usage note

See -our.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for clamour

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Of course there was a clamour that I should sing again, but I couldn't.

  • I was in the middle of the pit, and from the pit the clamour arose.

  • There is a clamour for evidence, signs, messages, testimony.

    Mountain Meditations

    L. Lind-af-Hageby

  • An impression, I am told, sometimes gets abroad that we yield to clamour.

    The Burning Spear

    John Galsworthy

  • There had been a moment's pause in the clamour of their babel as the door opened and Israel entered.

    The Scapegoat

    Hall Caine

British Dictionary definitions for clamour

clamour

US clamor

noun
  1. a loud persistent outcry, as from a large number of people
  2. a vehement expression of collective feeling or outragea clamour against higher prices
  3. a loud and persistent noisethe clamour of traffic
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verb
  1. (intr; often foll by for or against) to make a loud noise or outcry; make a public demandthey clamoured for attention
  2. (tr) to move, influence, or force by outcrythe people clamoured him out of office
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Derived Formsclamourer or US clamorer, nounclamorous, adjectiveclamorously, adverbclamorousness, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Old French clamour, from Latin clāmor, from clāmāre to cry out
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for clamour

chiefly British English spelling of clamor (q.v.); for spelling, see -or. Related: Clamoured; clamouring; clamourous.

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clamor

n.

late 14c., from Old French clamor "call, cry, appeal, outcry" (12c., Modern French clameur), from Latin clamor "a shout, a loud call" (either friendly or hostile), from clamare "to cry out" (see claim (v.)).

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clamor

v.

late 14c., from clamor (n.). Related: Clamored; clamoring.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper