exclamation

American  

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

noun

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

• exclamational adjective

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; exclaim ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

He had circled it himself, in red, with exclamation points, because it was the last day of school for the year.

From Literature

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

“It’d be great if you had an exclamation point,” one of the owners says to her husband as she takes in the sign.

From Salon

In a follow-up, the AI made sure to use at least one exclamation point.

From The Wall Street Journal

We greeted her with exclamations of surprise at the happy coincidence, and she did not appear suspicious to find us there.

From Literature