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

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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

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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

And as the game wore on, the gulf between the two sides became more evident, with England running in three tries in the final minutes to put an exclamation point on their win.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Mr. Damasio’s prose is informal—self-consciously chatty and unaffected, addressed to his “dear reader” and peppered by plenty of exclamation marks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Five friends lined up next to one another, their chests painted red, each with a different character in white: S, E, L, L and an exclamation point.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026

I was looking at the side of her face, listening to the sweet, throaty cadences of her voice, when I was jolted from my musing by a sharp exclamation.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

But moments later came sighs of relief and exclamations of joy, as word got around that Nene had secured her historic victory.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

“The fake niceness in mom chats, the smiley faces and exclamations, is reputation management,” says Santorelli.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 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

As they listened to celebratory speeches, the audience erupted into joyful exclamations: "Mercy!"

From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2024

My brothers made exclamations of appreciation and fell on their portions like hungry dogs.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

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