loud

American  

[loud] / laʊd /

adjective

louder, loudest

1. (of sound) strongly audible; having exceptional volume or intensity.

   loud talking;

   loud thunder;

   loud whispers.

   Synonyms:

   stentorian, resounding, earsplitting

   Antonyms:

   quiet

2. making, emitting, or uttering strongly audible sounds.

   a quartet of loud trombones.

3. clamorous, vociferous, or blatant; noisy.

   a loud party;

   a loud demonstration.

4. emphatic or insistent.

   to be loud in one's praises;

   a loud denial.

5. garish, conspicuous, or ostentatious, as colors, dress, or the wearer of garish dress.

   loud ties;

   a loud dresser.

   Synonyms:

   showy, flashy, gaudy

6. obtrusively vulgar, as manners or persons.

7. strong or offensive in smell.

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adverb

1. in a loud manner; loudly.

   Don't talk so loud.

idioms

1. out loud, aloud; audibly.

   I thought it, but I never said it out loud.

   Just whisper, don't speak out loud.

loud British  

/ laʊd /

adjective

1. (of sound) relatively great in volume

   a loud shout

2. making or able to make sounds of relatively great volume

   a loud voice

3. clamorous, insistent, and emphatic

   loud protests

4. (of colours, designs, etc) offensive or obtrusive to look at

5. characterized by noisy, vulgar, and offensive behaviour

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adverb

1. in a loud manner

2. audibly, as distinct from silently

loud More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing loud

• (loud enough) to wake the dead
• actions speak louder than words
• big (loud) mouth
• for crying out loud
• out loud
• think aloud

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Related Words

Loud, noisy describe a strongly audible sound or sounds. Loud means characterized by a full, powerful sound or sounds, which make a strong impression on the organs of hearing: a loud voice, laugh, report. Noisy refers to a series of sounds, and suggests clamor and discordance, or persistence in making loud sounds that are disturbing and annoying: a noisy crowd.

Other Word Forms

• loudly adverb
• loudness noun
• overloud adjective
• overloudly adverb
• unloudly adjective

Etymology

Origin of loud

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English hlūd; cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon hlūd ( Dutch luid ), Old High German hlūt ( German laut ); akin to Greek klytós “famous”

Related Words

• big
• boisterous
• deafening
• emphatic
• heavy
• intense
• lusty
• powerful
• rambunctious
• raucous
• resounding
• ringing
• roaring
• rowdy
• strident
• strong
• thundering
• vehement
• vociferous