shout

plural shouts

1. A loud burst of voice or voices; a violent and sudden outcry, especially that of a multitude expressing joy, triumph, exultation, anger, or great effort.

   give out a shout

   2 more examples

   hear a desperate shout

   an ear-piercing shout

2. AustraliaNew ZealandUKslangA round of drinks in a pub; the turn to pay the shot or scot; an act of paying for a round of drinks.

   2008, George Papaellinas, The Trip: An Odyssey, re.press, Australia, page 6, It was always my shout down the pub with Theo.

   2 more examples

   “I′ll get my wine though,” taking out her wallet. “No. This is my shout,” holding up his hand as though to ward her money off.

   1984, Keri Hulme, The Bone People, page 290

   Cut to the pub on a lads night out, Man at the bar cos it was his shout

   2006, Lily Allen, Knock 'Em Out

3. AustraliaUKslangA call-out for an emergency services team.

   Yet another ambulance on a shout enters Parliament Square.

   2017, Dave Boulter, London's Emergency Service Vehicles

4. informalA greeting, name-check or other mention, for example on a radio or TV program.

   Next up the new single from Beyoncé, but first a shout to Barry Bloggins and his wife Belinda...

   Synonyms: shout out

5. informalA suggestion; an idea.

   Yeah, good shout. We might get an idea of what we're up against before we park up and do business.

   1998, Eddy Brimson, Hooligan, page 180

   4 more examples

   You're bored, you decide to get a tattoo. Maybe you really like chimps. You sit down with your tattoo artist. Just the chimp, sir? No, hang on. Can you do a chimp, but in a suit? Yeah, nice shout, what about sticking a pair of glasses on him too? Love it, let's have him holding a gun as well. Hold on, will he be allowed a gun if he's short-sighted? Good question, but let's not forget the bigger issue here: he's a monkey.

   2018 September 6, Peter Crouch, How to Be a Footballer, Random House, →ISBN

   'I could do with a nap myself,' Hope said, trying unsuccessfully to hide a 'There's something about the sea air that wears you out, isn't there?' Will nodded. 'That's why I suggested we pick up the coffees. I might regret it at bedtime but for now I'd rather be wired than weary.' Hope took a sip of her latte and reached for the radio controls. 'Good shout. I'll see if I can nd us some tunes to listen to.' They chatted as the miles passed,[…]

   2021 July 1, Holly Hepburn, The Little Shop of Hidden Treasures Part Two: Secret Loves, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN

   “I...had a nap,” I said. “Good shout. Got to be strategic about these things. Jess went for a nap a couple of hours ago but hasn't resurfaced, so I think she's failed again this year.” I blinked. I didn't know what to say to him. “So, no one else make it?”

   2022 March 1, Alice Oseman, Loveless, Scholastic Inc., →ISBN

   "Just tell him you're not ready." She twists her mouth and looks at the card again. "To tell you the truth, I don't think I'll ever be ready. […]" I think for a moment. "Well, you could always say that romance is distracting you from your . . . your craft." She nods, considering this. “That's not a bad shout.” “Or you could break up with him.” She smiles and looks at the ground. “That's not a bad shout, either.” At that moment, there's a knock on the cupboard door, and I get up to answer it.

   2022 May 3, Caroline O'Donoghue, All Our Hidden Gifts, Candlewick Press, →ISBN, page 38

present singular third person shouts · participle present shouting · participle past shouted · past shouted

1. intransitiveTo utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others, etc.

   Mom shouted to us to come sit at the table.

   3 more examples

   They shouted thrice; what was the last cry for?

   1599 (first performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]

   5 And it shall come to passe that when they make a long blast with the rammes-horne, and when ye heare the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout: and the wall of the citie shall fall downe flat, and the people shall ascend vp euery man straight before him.[…] 10 And Ioshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, vntill the day I bid you shoute, then shall ye shoute.[…] 15 And it came to passe on the seuenth day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the citie after the same maner, seuen times: only on that day they compassed the citie seuen times. 16 And it came to passe at the seuenth time, when the Priests blewe with the trumpets, Ioshua said vnto the people, Shout, for the Lord hath giuen you the citie.[…] 20 So the people shouted when the Priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to passe when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell downe flat, so that the people went vp into the citie, euery man straight before him, and they tooke the citie.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Joshua 6:5–20

   "I decided to do it [stand for election] because I'd been interested in politics for a long time and, like lots of people, had spent a lot of time shouting at the radio.

   2020 June 3, Lilian Greenwood talks to Paul Stephen, “Rail's 'underlying challenges' remain”, in Rail, page 31

2. transitiveTo utter with a shout; to cry; to shout out

   They shouted his name to get his attention.

   Synonyms: halloo

3. figurativelyintransitiveTo forcefully attract attention or proclaim one’s presence.

   We walk’d together on the crown Of a high mountain which look’d down Afar from its proud natural towers Of rock and forest, on the hills— The dwindled hills! begirt with bowers And shouting with a thousand rills.

   1829, Edgar Allan Poe, “Tamerlane”, in Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems

4. AustraliaNew ZealandslangTo pay for food, drink or entertainment for others.

   2010, Ivan Dunn, The Legend of Beau Baxter, HarperCollins Publishers, New Zealand, unnumbered page, Truth is, I notice the other blokes who have been shouting me nodding among themselves and thinking they′d better get in the queue if I am buying. Not likely. I am out of there.

   4 more examples

   "It appears to be the general opinion that it's my business to always shout - I will shout." He took up a hat and defiantly cast twopence into it.

   1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 16

   After shouting me a plate of noodles and limp vegetables, he helped me change money by introducing me to the stallholder who offered the best exchange rates.

   1999, Peter Moore, The Wrong Way Home: London to Sydney the Hard Way, page 301

   2003, Peter Watt, To Chase the Storm, Pan MacMillan Australia, unnumbered page, ‘I have not seen my cousin Patrick in years,’ Martin answered defensively. ‘I doubt that, considering the way our lives have gone, an officer of the King′s army would be shouting me a drink in Mr O′Riley′s pub these days. […] ’

   Anyhow, he obviously bore no grudge against Kiwis, for he shouted me a beer and opened another one for himself, punctuating the operation with a spectacular and resounding fart that by all the laws of physical science should have left his trousers flapping in smouldering shreds.

   2005, George G. Spearing, Dances with Marmots: A Pacific Crest Trail Adventure, page 32

   Synonyms: treat

5. InternetTo post a text message (for example, email) in upper case, regarded as the electronic messaging equivalent of oral shouting.

   Please don't shout in the chat room.

6. obsoletetransitiveTo treat with shouts or clamor.

   How would these men have shouted at the laying on of the last stone of the battlements

   1612–1634, [Joseph Hall], “(please specify the page)”, in [Contemplations vpon the Principall Passages of the Holy Storie], volume (please specify |volume=I to VIII), London, →OCLC

plural shouts

1. UKdialectalA flat-bottomed boat, a barge (for carrying cargo, etc), now especially a light boat used in duck-shooting.

   1 more example

   Although the density of the flour in particular would be less than that of the wheat, an equivalent 200 quarters of wheat per shout would not seem out of the question here. Again using Table 4, this suggests quite large boats carrying nearly 35 tons. If the 'Blackfriars 3' shout did indeed carry only 7.5 tons, then the shouts coming from Henley in 1345 were considerably bigger vessels, […]

   2007 October 25, John Blair, Waterways and Canal-Building in Medieval England, OUP Oxford, →ISBN, page 124