English Reference

Word

exclaim

Phoneticsex·claim

US/ɪkˈskɫeɪm/

UK/ɛksklˈeɪm/

Definition

v. to say something suddenly and loudly because you are very happy, surprised, or angry.

v. to utter a statement suddenly and loudly, typically as a result of strong emotion such as surprise, joy, or distress.

Examples

“She exclaimed with joy when she saw her friend.”

“The crowd began to exclaim loudly as the team scored the winning goal in the final minute.”

“The witness was so shocked by the evidence presented that he could only manage to exclaim, 'This is impossible!' before collapsing into silence.”

Examples

simple

“She exclaimed with joy when she saw her friend.”

contextual

“The crowd began to exclaim loudly as the team scored the winning goal in the final minute.”

complex

“The witness was so shocked by the evidence presented that he could only manage to exclaim, 'This is impossible!' before collapsing into silence.”

Real-World Examples

“Her mother has kept a note of how, at three, when she heard her neighbour was killing ants she exclaimed, “Don’t kill ants!”
The Guardian · 20 Sept 2026
“It's starting!" "How wonderful," exclaimed a woman in the crowd.”
The Local · 13 Aug 2026

Etymology

From Middle French exclamer, from Latin exclāmō, exclāmāre (“call out”), from ex- + clāmō (“to call”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Word family

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

englishreference.com/q/exclaim

English Reference