exclamation

American  

[ek-skluh-may-shuhn] / ˌɛk skləˈmeɪ ʃən /

noun

• exclamations
  plural

1. the act of exclaiming; outcry; loud complaint or protest.

   The speech was continually interrupted by rude exclamations.

   Synonyms:

   vociferation, ejaculation, cry

2. an interjection.

3. Rhetoric. ecphonesis.

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exclamation British  

/ ˌɛkskləˈmeɪʃən /

noun

1. an abrupt, emphatic, or excited cry or utterance; interjection; ejaculation

2. the act of exclaiming

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• exclamational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• exclamations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of exclamation

1350–1400; Middle English exclamacio ( u ) n < Latin exclāmātiōn- (stem of exclāmātiō ) a calling out, equivalent to exclāmāt ( us ) (past participle of exclāmāre; see exclaim) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

If you need a word to call other "words" like "Yay!" or "Rats!", then exclamation is your word. An exclamation is usually followed by an exclamation point. Go Figure. The shocked cry you made when your friends jumped out and yelled, "Surprise!" at your birthday party? You could call both your yelp and their "Surprise!" exclamations. The Latin word exclamare, or "cry out loud," is at the root of the noun exclamation. An exclamation doesn't need to be a literal "cry," though — it can be a surprised "Wow!" or an angry "No!" Anything you say with abrupt excitement, pain, fear, or anger is an exclamation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exclamation exclamations

“In my head, ‘Jaguar’s’ ending exclamation point was a Grammy,” Monét says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

The interrobang of the subtitle is a mashup of the question mark and the exclamation point that a New York ad man tried to popularize in the 1960s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

I asked the guy wearing the exclamation point on his chest whether he thought the protests would have any impact upon Moreno.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

The rally puts an exclamation point on the stock’s turnaround this month, as the narrative around how AI would affect many software stocks seems to have reversed to positive from negative.

From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026

“What’s this?” she says, her voice a sharp exclamation.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Hal is a sympathetic sojourner through this ghost world, even if his exclamations of shock become a little screechy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026

The silver mechanical creature then starts thrashing around violently, to gasps and exclamations from spectators at the installation, designed to probe humanity's relationship with increasingly realistic machines.

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

The pastrami sandwiches at Katz’s Delicatessen are iconic, but Meg Ryan’s impassioned exclamations at the deli in “When Harry Met Sally” may be even more iconic.

From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2025

There will be no exclamations of “Yippee-ki-yay” and you know what because this is still Hallmark, but the network has stepped up its action/adventure offerings.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2024

But the golden godson was stuck on a camel, farther back in the caravan, and Lazlo had to be content with echoing exclamations from Calixte, who was given to gloating.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor