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:
I hear my 5-year-old son proudly exclaim, nearly out of breath.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026
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
When I exclaim aloud at this huge number, he tamps down my amazement: “No, no. There’s so much left—90% of this music is still unrecovered, unknown.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
Several people jumped into the comments section on Kardashian’s post to exclaim that they had spotted their family members in the photos.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2024
Kyle heard him exclaim to nobody in particular.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
“It’s my very own Stanford Prison Experiment!” she exclaims, in a typically baffling attempt at lighthearted dialogue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Napoleon exclaims during an extended instance of flatulence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026
But, she excitedly exclaims, “At the L.A. Phil you can dream big. And if you have any big ideas, please tell me about them.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 7, 2026
"The hardest thing was sculpting his hair. Holy shmoly! Oi yoi yoi!" he exclaims.
From Barron's ● Feb. 7, 2026
“Lawd, Lawd, Lawd,” that same Charlie Jones exclaims rushing over to Daisy.
From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston
“I’m kind of embarrassed, because I’ve never actually done this before, and there’s already people here,” she exclaimed in the video.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 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
“Miss Lumley! We are at Number Twelve Muffinshire Lane!” she exclaimed in a tone of utter surprise.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
When he came home with the monster catfish on Sunday, Prieto said she heard her mother-in-law’s exclaiming, “He caught a big fish,” before she laid eyes on the scaly creature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
“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
That video was followed by Ukrainian footage showing a laughing soldier pointing at the burning wreckage and exclaiming: "They've hit my wooden tank!"
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2025
He gives a few cautious sniffs before exclaiming and running back over to me.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
