exclaim
Americanverb (used without object)
-
exclaims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exclaimed,
past participle, past
-
exclaiming
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
exclaims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exclaimed,
past participle, past
-
exclaiming
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exclaimsimple
-
exclaimssimple
-
have exclaimedperfect
-
has exclaimedperfect
-
am exclaimingprogressive
-
are exclaimingprogressive
-
is exclaimingprogressive
-
have been exclaimingperfect progressive
-
has been exclaimingperfect progressive
Past
-
exclaimedsimple
-
had exclaimedperfect
-
was exclaimingprogressive
-
were exclaimingprogressive
-
had been exclaimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exclaim
1560–70; earlier exclame < Latin exclāmāre to cry out. See ex- 1, claim
Explanation
The verb exclaim is from the Latin word exclamare, which means "to cry out." The English meaning is similar, to cry out, but with the added element of a strong emotion such as fear, joy, surprise. In writing, when someone exclaims something, the punctuation mark used to express this vehement outcry is usually the exclamation point: "Stop!" you exclaim when your toddler climbs precariously on a chair stacked with books. "Not in this lifetime!" you cry out when your teenager wants to borrow the new car. You will exclaim "I'm so proud!" when your child graduates college.
Vocabulary lists containing exclaim
Instead of "Said": Words for Upbeat Banter
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The Circuit
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"American Names"
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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.
See Examples For:
It saw a raft of stars, including Hugh Jackman and Daniel Radcliffe, soaked over the years and led a sopping-wet Davina McCall to exclaim: "I'm in heaven!"
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
While Steve’s dad leafed through documents and letters—stopping to exclaim or lament a bit—and Steve went through still more photos, I dug through his late mom’s sewing supplies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
And it led him to loudly exclaim, before playing the sarabande from Bach’s Second Solo Cello Suite in his short solo set, “Who knew?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2025
“Look how, beautiful!” she’d exclaim, in frustration, while all I saw was dirt.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2023
And somehow in the hubbub of getting back into his car seat and arriving back at his house and having everyone exclaim over his first day of school, he never quite managed to ask.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
"I made many friends!" she exclaims, adding that a plan to get brunch together is already in the works.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
"Hey, I know you!" exclaims Paul McCartney, gripping my hand as we walk into his office in central London.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
"She is!" exclaims Bird, 38, breaking into a broad smile.
From Barron's ● Apr. 10, 2026
“Best lesbian book ever!” exclaims Alexis of Chloe Michelle Howarth’s 2023 work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
“Don’t eat people?” the lad’s incredulous father exclaims at one point.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
“HE DID?” one New York politico exclaimed when I asked him about Trump’s attending the memorial.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
"She slips! She slips! Coco Gauff hangs in. What an absolute rollercoaster," Cavaday exclaimed.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
"It's clear who won!" one zookeeper exclaimed excitedly.
From Barron's ● Jun. 6, 2026
Scimemi exclaimed as she leapt forward, earning a big laugh from a classroom full of colleagues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
“Why, we have only just begun!” she exclaimed.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
“You all lying!” a shop owner in Glenmora, population 1,000, recalls exclaiming when she heard agents had surrounded the former police chief’s house there.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 21, 2026
To prove that point, Sugarman asked Spelling to send her a photo of the current state of her home, then exclaiming, “Oh, it’s not good,” when she saw the image.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 20, 2026
Cunningham can be heard in the video laughing and exclaiming, “She’s the problem!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2025
An animated clip of Arthur’s friend D.W. on her bike followed a week later, exclaiming, “We ride at dawn for PBS . . . Who’s riding with us?”
From Salon ● May 18, 2025
They outdid themselves exclaiming what a sure shot I was.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
Definitions 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.
