exclamation point

noun

1

: a mark ! used especially after an interjection or exclamation to indicate forceful utterance or strong feeling

2

: a distinctive indication of major significance, interest, or contrast

the game put an exclamation point on the season

called also exclamation mark

Examples of exclamation point in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The old newspaper carried the story of the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, its banner headline set off by an exclamation point. —Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2025

Pete Alonso’s grand slam in the fifth was the exclamation point. —Noah Gulley, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025

One World Trade Center (also called Freedom Tower) is a tapering, eight-faceted exclamation point abutting the National September 11 Memorial in Lower Manhattan. —David W. Dunlap, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025

But maybe the biggest exclamation point came when McLaren driver Lando Norris showed up at Carbone Beach on Sunday evening after winning the Miami Grand Prix. —Andy Wang, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for exclamation point

• adjoint
• anoint
• appoint
• checkpoint
• conjoint
• disjoint
• endpoint
• gunpoint
• midpoint
• nonpoint
• pinpoint
• standpoint

Kids Definition

exclamation point

noun

: a punctuation mark ! used chiefly after an exclamation to show a forceful way of speaking or a strong feeling