shout
Americanverb (used without object)
-
shouts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shouted,
past participle, past
-
shouting
present participle
-
to call or cry out loudly and vigorously.
- Synonyms:
- exclaim, vociferate, yell
- Antonyms:
- whisper
-
to speak or laugh noisily or unrestrainedly.
verb (used with object)
-
shouts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shouted,
past participle, past
-
shouting
present participle
-
to utter or yell (something) loudly.
-
Australian. to treat (another) to a drink, meal, amusement, or the like.
noun
-
shouts
plural
-
a loud call or cry.
He gave a shout for help.
-
a sudden loud outburst, as of laughter.
-
the act of calling or crying out loudly.
noun
-
a loud cry, esp to convey emotion or a command
-
informal
-
a round, esp of drinks
-
one's turn to buy a round of drinks
-
-
informal a greeting (to family, friends, etc) sent to a radio station for broadcasting
-
informal an occasion on which the members of an emergency service are called out on duty
verb
-
to utter (something) in a loud cry; yell
-
(intr) to make a loud noise
-
informal (tr) to treat (someone) to (something), esp a drink
Synonym Usage
See cry.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shoutsimple
-
shoutssimple
-
have shoutedperfect
-
has shoutedperfect
-
am shoutingprogressive
-
are shoutingprogressive
-
is shoutingprogressive
-
have been shoutingperfect progressive
-
has been shoutingperfect progressive
Past
-
shoutedsimple
-
had shoutedperfect
-
was shoutingprogressive
-
were shoutingprogressive
-
had been shoutingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of shout
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English shoute (noun), shouten (verb); compare Old Norse skūta “to scold, chide,” skūti, skūta “a taunt”
Explanation
When you shout, you speak or call out loudly. If you get trapped in the coat closet during a game of hide-and-seek, just shout for help — you'll be set free, but you'll also be "it." Sometimes people shout simply because they have a booming speaking voice; you might hold your phone far from your ear when you call your grandma, who tends to shout. You can also shout in anger or fear or even joy: "My cousin jumped up with a happy shout when I surprised him at his birthday party." Experts disagree on the origin of shout, but some guess it's connected to shoot, as in "throw the voice out loudly."
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:
Also, let’s shout out the perfect banjo intro courtesy of keyboard player Vijay Tellis-Nayak.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
But as temperatures hit 103 degrees outside the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, she couldn’t help but shout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
"She was killed on the street. She had gone to the street for change, to shout 'freedom'," her daughter Mahsa Piraei, who lives outside Iran, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
The Spaniard was direct and had a penalty shout turned down but he should have tested Sels at least when he fired a first-half effort wide from inside the box.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
I can hear Mom’s voice cheering for us, and a few other people shout our names, too, because we’ve written them on our race bibs.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Daniela Largo, 32, was pulled from the debris on Tuesday in the city of Pereira to shouts of joy and applause, becoming a symbol of hope for a nation reeling from Monday's disaster.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Those attending the hour-long event were met by a handful of pro-Palestine protesters, whose shouts were heard during the first part of the event.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
At the end, the entire block shouts the only lyric required.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
He received a hero’s welcome in Hostage Square in Tel Aviv after forging a tenuous Gaza ceasefire last October, visibly moved as he was drowned out by appreciative shouts of “Thank you, Witkoff!”
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
We heard shouts as people tried to pry up the gold and then got attacked by pixies.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
An event staffer at one point shouted, “You need to have a ticket. If you are on the wait list, we will not be approving you.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
NFL Players Assn. executive director JC Tretter posted a clip of the interaction that zoomed in on Seeman as he shouted toward McBride.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
Unfortunately, the way Mr. Iñárritu stages the scene, with Digger getting shouted down from all corners, dilutes the power of his substantially sound argument.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Kansas fans shouted their rallying cry "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk", while their rivals replied with "ASU, ASU".
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Mutti shouted at Karli to get up and come to her at once.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Maniscalco is an incredible businessman, and a pioneer in the craft of shouting a premise and then pausing until the audience agrees it’s a punchline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
"The border guards started running around and shouting "Run!
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The old halls offered a collective, interactive experience, with fans applauding at the hero's entrance, clapping to romantic songs and shouting at dramatic twists.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Across from them, a roughly equal group waved Chinese and American flags, shouting “welcome, welcome” and playing music including “YMCA,” a song Trump often dances to.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
Daniella was evidently shouting, because this time Jonah didn’t even have to lean close to hear every word.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
