clamor

noun clam·or \ ˈkla-mər \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of clamor

1 a : noisy shouting

a clamor of children at play

b : a loud continuous noise

the clamor of the waterfall

2 : insistent public expression (as of support or protest)

the current clamor about what is wrong with our schools

See clamor defined for English-language learners

See clamor defined for kids

Examples of clamor in a Sentence

A clamor outside woke them in the night.
city streets filled with clamor
a public clamor for an arrest in the case
There is growing clamor for reform.

Recent Examples of clamor from the Web

The promotion’s repeated refusal to give him major opportunities only made the fans clamor for more Bryan.

— dan gartland, SI.com, "Why Was Daniel Bryan Forced to Retire? What You Need to Know About WWE Superstar’s Comeback," 8 Apr. 2018
Hanabusa was pointing to a trend reflected in census data: People are moving away from Hawaii even as employers here clamor for workers.

— audrey mcavoy and christopher s. rugaber, The Christian Science Monitor, "Hawaii's low unemployment presents unique challenges," 5 Apr. 2018
Congress demanded the list amid a bipartisan clamor to punish Russia for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

— Bloomberg.com, "Russian Oligarchs on U.S. Treasury List Facing Added Scrutiny," 6 Feb. 2018
Hoekstra said, before trying to call on someone else over the clamor of the reporters in the room.

— eli rosenberg, Washington Post, "Reporters to Trump ambassador: ‘This is the Netherlands — you have to answer questions’," 10 Jan. 2018
The clamor to roll out electric vehicles has grown louder as countries and companies race to clean up smog in their cities and hit ambitious climate goals set by the Paris Agreement.

— jeremy hodges, Houston Chronicle, "Electric cars may be cheaper than gas guzzlers in 7 years," 22 Mar. 2018
But eventually those measures fail and the clamor quiets and the NRA starts tweeting again about how guns make great Valentine’s Day presents.

— philip bump, Washington Post, "How the response to the shooting in Parkland compares to other recent massacres," 20 Feb. 2018
But don’t necessarily expect the orchestra, which plays two soberly sensible programs at Carnegie Hall this week, to join the clamor.

— james r. oestreich, New York Times, "At 100, the Cleveland Orchestra May (Quietly) Be America’s Best," 22 Jan. 2018
Though the position of the first lady is unpaid, there’s value to the clamor of cameras and the brand impressions that come with their final images.

— eric schiffer, Newsweek, "Should Melania Leave Trump? President's Alleged Infidelity Could Boost the First Lady's Brand," 7 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clamor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The clamor on Broadway at midday can be astonishing to a tourist from a midwestern town; if they happen to be digging up the street with jackhammers, the clamor can be even worse. The clamor on the floor of a stock exchange goes on without stopping for seven hours every day. A clamor of protest may sometimes be quieter, but is often just as hard to ignore. A politican who receives a thousand e-mails a day clamoring for his resignation might as well be listening to an angry crowd.

Origin and Etymology of clamor

Middle English, from Anglo-French clamour, from Latin clamor, from clamare to cry out — more at claim

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

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clamor Synonyms

clamor

verb

Definition of clamor

clamored; clamoring play \ˈklam-riŋ, ˈkla-mər-iŋ\

intransitive verb

1 : to make a din (see ¹din 1)

The children clamored around them, singing songs and laughing.

2 : to become loudly insistent

clamored for his impeachment

clamoring for full independence

transitive verb

1 : to utter or proclaim insistently and noisily

cart peddlers clamored their wares
—Walter Farley

2 : to influence by means of clamor

Recent Examples of clamor from the Web

Local residents and observers are clamoring for details as an April 30 deadline looms for submitting partnership plans to the Texas Education Agency.

— jacob carpenter, Houston Chronicle, "As partnership deadline looms, HISD not expected to divulge plans Thursday," 11 Apr. 2018
The children clamoring for the players' attention were almost all decked in Pacers gear, even at the Hornets' home finale.

— brendan marks, charlotteobserver, "What could have been? For Hornets, final home loss serves as a look back on season | Charlotte Observer," 8 Apr. 2018
American and British elites, once committed to a blend of tradition and skepticism, now clamor for Enlightenment.

— yoram hazony, WSJ, "The Dark Side of the Enlightenment," 6 Apr. 2018
Others clamored to ride the fair’s monorail, a colorful open-air train that circled around the fair grounds on a 1.5-mile elevated track at 15 mph.

— vincent t. davis, San Antonio Express-News, "50th Anniversary of HemisFair ’68 sparks memories for visitors to venue," 6 Apr. 2018
The next possession ended in chaos: a steal by McCowan on one end, followed quickly by a steal by Young at midcourt that had Bulldog fans clamoring for a foul call.

— ben baskin, SI.com, "Arike Ogunbowale Gives Notre Dame a Star, a Shot and a Season to Cherish," 2 Apr. 2018
Initially, airlines clamored to get a slice of the DOT’s 20 available daily round-trip flights from the U.S., only to find weaker demand than expected, forcing some to stop flying to certain cities on the island or cut Cuba service altogether.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "Travel to Cuba is getting popular again — just in time for a slew of new Havana flights | Miami Herald," 2 Apr. 2018
Its embrace of a truckier look seems ideally timed to consumers’ ever more raucous clamoring for such things.

— alexander stoklosa, Car and Driver, "2019 Toyota RAV4 / RAV4 Hybrid: Sales Champ Gets a Compelling Overhaul," 29 Mar. 2018
There’s the bloodthirsty crowd clamoring for crucifixion and willing to pardon Barabbas, a murderer, rather than set Jesus free.

— atlanta life, ajc, "Crucifixion still happening in the world today," 23 Mar. 2018

Origin and Etymology of clamor

see ¹clamor

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

clamor

verb

Definition of clamor

transitive verb

obsolete

: silence

Origin and Etymology of clamor

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1611

See Words from the same year

CLAMOR Defined for English Language Learners

clamor

noun

Definition of clamor for English Language Learners

: a loud continuous noise (such as the noise made when many people are talking or shouting)
: a loud or strong demand for something by many people

CLAMOR Defined for Kids

clamor

noun clam·or \ ˈkla-mər \

Definition of clamor for Students

1 : a noisy shouting

2 : a loud continuous noise

the clamor of a storm

3 : strong and loud demand

There was a public clamor for change.

Word Root of clamor

The Latin word clamāre, meaning “to shout” or “to cry out,” gives us the root clam and its form claim. Words from the Latin clamāre have something to do with shouting. To exclaim is to cry out in a sudden or emotional way. To proclaim is to announce or shout something publicly. Clamor is noisy shouting.