/ ʃaʊt; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
1.
shout (sth) (at / to sb) | shout (at sb to do sth) to say sth in a loud voice; to speak loudly / angrily to sb :
[ v ]
Stop shouting and listen!
I shouted for help but nobody came.
She shouted at him to shut the gate.
Then he started shouting and swearing at her.
[ vn ]
to shout abuse / encouragement / orders
[ v that ]
He shouted that he couldn't swim.
[ vn - adj ]
She shouted herself hoarse, cheering on the team.
[ v speech ]
'Run!' he shouted.
2.
[ v ] shout (out) to make a loud noise :
She shouted out in pain when she tried to move her leg.
2.
( AustralE , NZE ) to buy drinks or food for sb in a bar, restaurant, etc. :
[ v ]
I'll shout—what are you drinking?
[ vnn ]
Who's going to shout me a drink?
[also v ]
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- shout sb down
- shout sth out
■ noun
1.
a loud cry of anger, fear, excitement, etc. :
angry shouts
a shout of anger
I heard her warning shout too late.
2.
( BrE , informal ) a person's turn to buy drinks :
What are you drinking? It's my shout.
•
IDIOMS
- be in with a shout (of sth / of doing sth)
- give sb a shout
••
SYNONYMS
shout
yell ♦ scream ♦ cheer ♦ cry ♦ call
These are all words for ways of expressing yourself in a loud voice, usually in words, in order to show a strong emotion or to attract attention.
shout
a loud expression of anger, fear, excitement or pain, etc., usually using words:
We heard angry shouts coming from the flat below.
•
She gave a shout of joy.
yell
( rather informal ) a loud shout:
a yell of delight
scream
a shout in a loud high voice because of fear, anger or excitement
cheer
a shout of joy, support or praise, often using the words 'Hooray!', 'Yes!' or 'Yeah!':
A great cheer went up from the crowd.
cry
( rather formal or literary ) a shout:
Her answer was greeted with cries of outrage.
shout, yell, scream or cry?
Cry is the most formal of these words and yell is the least formal. A yell may be louder and less controlled than a shout or cry and the words may be less clear. A scream is a very high sound. A cry can also be a loud sound without words.
call
a shout to attract attention:
She could hear calls for help coming from the wreckage.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
a shout / yell / scream / cry of pain, alarm, etc.
to do sth with a shout / yell / cheer / cry
a loud shout / yell / cheer / cry / call
to give / let out a shout / yell / scream / cheer / cry
a shout / yell / cheer / cry goes up (= people start shouting, yelling, etc.)
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : perhaps related to shoot ; compare with Old Norse skúta a taunt.