yell

American  

[yel] / yɛl /

verb (used without object)

1. to cry out or speak with a strong, loud, clear sound; shout.

   He always yells when he is angry.

2. to scream with pain, fright, etc.

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verb (used with object)

1. to utter or tell by yelling.

   to yell an order to the troops.

noun

1. a cry uttered by yelling.

2. a cheer or shout of fixed words or syllables, as one adopted by a school or college to encourage a team.

yell British  

/ jɛl /

verb

1. to shout, scream, cheer, or utter in a loud or piercing way

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noun

1. a loud piercing inarticulate cry, as of pain, anger, or fear

2. a rhythmic cry of words or syllables, used in cheering in unison

Other Word Forms

• outyell verb (used with object)
• yeller noun

Etymology

Origin of yell

First recorded before 1000; (for the verb) Middle English yellen, Old English gellan, giellan; cognate with German gellen to resound, Dutch gillen; akin to Old English galan “to sing” ( nightingale ); noun derivative of the verb

Example Sentences

Someone yelled, “Avalanche!” according to Rusty Greene, operations captain for the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office.

From Los Angeles Times

“It was reported by the individuals that survived that they were attempting to go out as a group, that someone saw the avalanche, yelled ‘avalanche’ and then it overtook them rather quickly,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

But maybe that was just a function of being new to the job, of having spent so much time concentrating on the computer and being yelled at by Monique.

From Literature

Nim yelled—so loud and so often that Fred went to sulk in his cave in case it was his fault.

From Literature

The next day, standing below the balcony of the Lorraine Motel where the team was staying in Memphis, King yelled down at Jackson in joviality, as if to mitigate the outburst, inviting him to dinner.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hoot
• howl
• screech
• shriek
• squawk
• squeal
• wail
• whoop
• yelp