aloud

aloud — adverb

1. using your speaking voice rather than thinking the words silently in your head,

1.adverbB1
Definition

using your speaking voice rather than thinking the words silently in your head, so that anyone nearby can hear what you say.

Example

Mei read the bedtime story aloud while her little brother held the picture book.

collocation: read + something + aloud

Sami counted the coins aloud so his grandmother could check the total with him.

verb + aloud showing the action is voiced

Common collocations
  • read aloud
  • say it aloud
  • laugh aloud
  • wonder aloud
  • cry aloud
  • think aloud
Synonyms
  • out loud

    more conversational; same meaning, often interchangeable in everyday speech

  • audibly

    more formal; emphasises that the sound was loud enough to reach the ear

  • openly

    broader — about being public, not specifically about voice

Antonyms
  • silently

    without making any sound, especially while reading or thinking

  • inwardly

    kept inside one's mind, not expressed in speech

Grammar Patterns

read aloud

say + something + aloud

think aloud

Usage Note

Almost always follows the verb it modifies (read aloud, said it aloud), not before it. With verbs of speech (say, read, count, repeat) it stresses the voiced act; with verbs of thought (wonder, think) it signals that an inner thought has been spoken so others can hear.

Common Mistakes

She aloud read the letter.
She read the letter aloud.
'aloud' goes after the verb (and its object), not before.
Please speak aloud, the music is too noisy.
Please speak louder, the music is too noisy.
for volume use 'loudly' or 'louder'; 'aloud' means voiced rather than silent.
Idioms

think aloud

idiom

to speak the thoughts in your mind as you have them, often to work through an idea rather than to talk to someone in particular.

Sorry, I'm just thinking aloud — I haven't decided where to spend the holiday yet.

The detective walked around the room, thinking aloud about who could have moved the chair.

for crying out loud

idiom

an informal way to show that you are annoyed, surprised, or have run out of patience with something or someone.

For crying out loud, Daniel, please put your wet boots outside the kitchen!

Oh, for crying out loud, the printer has jammed again right before the meeting.

think aloud/out loud

idiom

To speak your thoughts as they come to you, without keeping them inside your head.

Mia often thinks aloud while solving math problems at her desk.

Did you just think out loud about your birthday surprise for Sara?

Word family

  • loud
    adjectiveA2
  • loudly
    adverbB1
  • loudness
    nounC1
  • out loud
    adverbB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four describe sound coming from the voice, but they pull apart on register and on what they emphasise. 'Aloud' and 'out loud' carry the same core meaning — voiced rather than silent — and are usually interchangeable, although 'out loud' feels more conversational and is the natural choice in spoken English ('say it out loud'), while 'aloud' is slightly more written and is the standard form in school instructions like 'read aloud'. 'Audibly' is more formal and shifts the focus to whether the sound actually reached someone's ear, as in 'she sighed audibly across the table'. 'Loudly' is about volume, not about voicing: a door can slam loudly, but it cannot slam aloud. So a learner whispering a word to herself is speaking aloud but not loudly.

aloud ↗out loudaudiblyloudly ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • read aloud
  • say it aloud
  • think aloud
  • wonder aloud
  • laugh aloud
  • cry aloud

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in late Middle English from the prefix 'a-' (meaning 'on' or 'in') joined to 'loud'. The 'a-' here is the same one that survives in words like 'asleep', 'ashore', and 'aboard', where it once meant a state or condition. So 'aloud' literally meant 'in a loud (that is, audible) manner', and only later narrowed to the modern sense of using the voice rather than reading or thinking silently.