yell

yell — verb

1. to raise your voice to an extremely high volume, often because a strong feeling

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA2
Definition

to raise your voice to an extremely high volume, often because a strong feeling such as anger, pain, or excitement makes you speak without holding back

Example

Élise yelled his name across the playground to make him turn around.

yell + object: direct object as thing shouted

'Get out of the way!' Ziad yelled as the bicycle sped toward the old woman.

yell + quoted speech for urgent warning

Common collocations
  • yell at (someone)
  • yell for (help / joy / pain)
  • yell out (a name / an order)
  • yell in (pain / anger / excitement)
Synonyms
  • shout

    most direct synonym; 'shout' is more neutral while 'yell' often suggests anger or loss of control

  • scream

    higher-pitched and more piercing than a yell; often from fear or excitement

  • cry out

    more sudden and instinctive, often from pain or surprise

  • roar

    deeper, louder, more powerful; often used for anger or to be heard over noise

Antonyms
  • whisper

    to speak very softly, the opposite of yelling

  • murmur

    to speak in a quiet, unclear voice

Grammar Patterns

yell + at + person

yell + 'quoted speech'

yell + for + reason

yell + out + noun

Usage Note

Commonly used with 'at' before the person being shouted at. The transitive form (yell + direct object) is less frequent than the intransitive form. This sense differs from 'shout' mainly in suggesting a more emotional or less controlled tone.

Common Mistakes

She yelled at him in a normal voice.
She yelled at him when she lost her temper.
'yell' always implies a very loud voice, not a normal speaking volume.
He yelled quietly so nobody would hear.
He whispered quietly so nobody would hear.
'yell' and 'quietly' contradict each other.
The baby yelled for milk.' (for a baby's cry)
The baby cried for milk.
'yell' is for a person old enough to control their voice; babies cry.
Phrasal verbs

yell out

phrasal verb

to suddenly shout something loudly, often to get someone's attention or to express a strong emotion

The referee yelled out the final score so everyone in the stadium could hear it.

yell — noun

Word family

  • yelling
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe using a loud voice, but they differ in tone and context. 'Shout' is the most neutral and general — you can shout to get attention, to give an order, or to be heard in a noisy room. 'Yell' suggests a stronger emotional charge, often anger, pain, or excitement, and can imply a loss of control. 'Scream' is higher-pitched and more piercing; people scream when they are terrified, delighted, or in extreme pain. 'Cry out' is a more sudden, instinctive reaction, such as crying out in surprise when something unexpected happens. 'Roar' is a deep, powerful sound associated with anger or the need to be heard over heavy noise. For everyday situations like calling a friend across a street, 'shout' or 'yell' work best. For a horror film, characters 'scream'. For a sports crowd, they might 'roar'.

shout ↗scream ↗cry out ↗roar ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • yell at the top of one's lungs
  • yell one's head off

Prepositions

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Yell comes from Old English 'giellan' (to shout, to resound), which traces back to the Proto-Germanic root '*gellaną' (to sound, to cry out). This same root gave rise to Dutch 'gillen' and German 'gellen', both meaning to shriek or resound. The word has been used in English for over a thousand years with very little change in meaning — it has always described a loud, forceful human cry.