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loud

adj. · adv. · n.
US //ˈɫaʊd// UK //lˈaʊd// loud
  1. 1 high volume (adj.)
    A2 Elementary

    making a lot of noise or easy to hear.

    producing or capable of producing much noise; high in decibel level.

    Example

    The music was so loud that I could not hear what she was saying.

    Example

    The loud construction noise from the street made it impossible for the researchers to concentrate on their data analysis.
    Pitfall
    He spoke very loud during the meeting.
    He spoke very loudly during the meeting.

    While 'loud' can be an adverb, 'loudly' is the standard choice for modifying a verb in formal writing.

  2. 2 bright or gaudy (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    having colours or patterns that are too bright and not very tasteful.

    vulgar or tasteless in colour or design; garish.

    Example

    He wore a loud shirt with bright yellow flowers to the office party.

    Example

    The interior designer warned that such a loud wallpaper pattern would overwhelm the small guest bedroom.
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  1. 3 strong-smelling or high-quality (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Slang

    having a very strong smell or being of very high quality.

    possessing a pungent or powerful odour; used in specific subcultures to denote high-grade products.

    Example

    That cheese has a very loud smell that fills the whole kitchen.

    Example

    The herbalist noted that the fresh batch of lavender was particularly loud, indicating a high concentration of essential oils.
  2. 4 with great volume (adv.)
    A2 Elementary

    in a way that makes a lot of noise.

    with high volume; often used in comparative forms or specific idioms like 'out loud'.

    Example

    She read the letter out loud so everyone in the room could hear the news.

    Example

    The protesters shouted their slogans loud enough to be heard by the officials inside the parliament building.

    Usage

    Often used in the fixed phrase 'out loud' or in informal comparisons like 'don't talk so loud'.
  3. 5 a loud sound (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical

    a sound that is very noisy or the noisy part of a recording.

    a sound of great intensity or the high-amplitude portion of an audio signal.

    Example

    The sudden loud from the engine made the driver pull over immediately.

    Example

    The sound engineer adjusted the levels to ensure the louds did not distort the overall clarity of the vocal track.
Etymology 1

From Middle English loude, loud, lud, from Old English hlūd (“loud, noisy, sounding, sonorous”), from Proto-West Germanic hlūd, from Proto-Germanic hlūdaz, hlūþaz (“heard”), from Proto-Indo-European ḱlewtos (“heard, famous”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear”). More at listen. Cognates Akin to Scots loud, lowd (“loud”), Swedish ljud, West Frisian lûd (“loud”), Dutch luid (“loud”), Low German lud (“loud”), German laut (“loud”), Irish clú (“repute”), Welsh clywed (“heard”), clod (“praise”), Latin laudare (“praise”), Tocharian A/B klots/klautso 'ear', klyostär 'heard', Ancient Greek κλυτός (klutós, “famous”), Albanian quaj (“to name, call”), shquar (“famous, notorious”), Old Armenian լու (lu, “the act of hearing”), Old Church Slavonic слава (slava, “glory”), слово (slovo, “word”), Sanskrit श्रव (śráva, “glory”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English loude, from Old English hlūde (“loudly”), from Proto-Germanic hlūda, hlūdô (“loudly”), related to Etymology 1.

Word family
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