I. loud 1 S2 W3 /laʊd/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative louder , superlative loudest )
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ aloud , ↑ loud , ↑ loudly ; noun : ↑ loudness ; adjective : ↑ loud ]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: hlud ]
1 . making a lot of noise OPP quiet :
The book fell to the floor with a loud bang.
The music was so loud that I had to shout.
‘Who’s there?’ asked David in a loud voice.
2 . someone who is loud talks too loudly and confidently:
The more Tom drank, the louder he became.
3 . loud clothes are too bright or have too many bright patterns SYN garish , gaudy :
a loud checked suit
4 . be loud in your praise/opposition/support etc to express your approval or disapproval very strongly:
The local business community was loud in its support for the scheme.
—loudly adverb :
Ben laughed loudly.
She spoke more loudly than she intended.
—loudness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ loud making a lot of noise – used about sounds, voices, or music:
a loud explosion
|
He was talking in a very loud voice.
|
The music was too loud.
▪ noisy making a lot of noise – used about people, machines, and places that annoy you:
The traffic was so noisy.
|
noisy neighbours
|
a noisy bar
▪ rowdy rowdy people behave in a noisy and uncontrolled way. A rowdy place such as a bar is full of noisy people, often behaving badly:
rowdy football fans
|
a rowdy bar
▪ raucous /ˈrɔːkəs $ ˈrɒː-/ especially written unpleasantly loud – used about the excited sound of groups of people:
raucous laughter
|
raucous crowds
▪ resounding [only before noun] used to describe a loud noise when something hits another thing, that seems to continue for a few seconds. Also used about people cheering or shouting loudly:
The door hit the wall with a resounding crash.
|
a resounding cheer
■ very loud
▪ thunderous extremely loud and deep in sound:
His remarks received thunderous applause from the audience.
▪ deafening /ˈdef ə nɪŋ/ so loud that you cannot hear anything else:
The noise was deafening – like a thousand fireworks going off at one time.
|
People living near airports suffer the deafening sound of aircraft taking off and landing.
▪ ear-splitting so loud that your ears feel uncomfortable:
He played the music at ear-splitting volume.
▪ piercing extremely loud, high, and unpleasant to hear:
a piercing scream
■ COLLOCATIONS CHECK
▪ loud sound/voice/music
▪ noisy person/place/machine/traffic
▪ rowdy crowd/fans/bar
▪ raucous laughter/crowd/atmosphere
▪ resounding thud/crash/cheer/applause
▪ thunderous applause
▪ deafening sound/noise
▪ piercing voice/scream/whistle/sound
II. loud 2 S3 BrE AmE adverb ( comparative louder , superlative loudest )
[ Word Family: adverb : ↑ aloud , ↑ loud , ↑ loudly ; noun : ↑ loudness ; adjective : ↑ loud ]
1 . spoken in a way that makes a lot of noise SYN loudly :
Could you speak a little louder?
You’ve got the telly on too loud.
2 . loud and clear in a way that is very easy to understand:
The message came through loud and clear.
3 . out loud in such a way that people can hear you SYN aloud :
Read it out loud, so we can all hear.
Harriet laughed out loud in astonishment.
⇨ actions speak louder than words at ↑ action 1 (13), ⇨ for crying out loud at ↑ cry 1 (4)