Meaning & use
clamor
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A loud, confused noise made by many people or things at the same time.
Grammar: Can be countable (a clamor) or uncountable (the clamor of the crowd).
Patterns
- a clamor of something
- the clamor from something
The clamor of the city streets made it hard to think.
There was a sudden clamor of voices outside the door.
We could hear the clamor of the crowd from blocks away.
nouncountable or uncountable
A strong, insistent public demand or complaint for something.
Grammar: Often used with 'for': a clamor for change.
Patterns
- clamor for something
- a clamor for something
There is growing clamor for stricter gun laws.
The public clamor for answers forced the mayor to speak.
Despite the clamor for his resignation, he stayed in office.
verbintransitive
To shout loudly and insistently, often as part of a group demanding something.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'for' or 'against': clamor for change.
Patterns
- clamor for something
- clamor against something
- clamor to do something
The students clamored for better facilities.
Protesters clamored against the new tax.
Fans clamored to get a glimpse of the singer.
Word forms
| third person singular | clamors |
|---|---|
| past tense | clamored |
| past participle | clamored |
| -ing form | clamoring |
| plural | clamors |
Common combinations
- clamor for change
- Voters are clamoring for change after years of stagnation.
- public clamor
- The public clamor for reform grew louder each day.
- clamor of voices
- A clamor of voices filled the hall as everyone tried to speak.
- rise above the clamor
- Her calm voice rose above the clamor of the crowd.
Synonyms and how they differ
- uproar
- Uproar suggests a more chaotic, angry noise; clamor can be simply loud and confused, not necessarily angry.
- din
- Din is a continuous, unpleasant loud noise; clamor often implies many voices or demands.
- demand
- Demand is a direct request; clamor suggests a loud, collective insistence rather than a single request.
Opposites
Word family
- clamorous adjective
- Making a lot of loud noise or demands.
- clamorously adverb
- In a loud, insistent way.
Commonly confused: clamor or clamber? clamor or clamp?
clamor vs clamber
Clamber means to climb with difficulty, using hands and feet; it sounds similar but is unrelated.
clamor vs clamp
Clamp is a device for holding things tightly or a verb meaning to fasten; not related to noise.
Practice
The crowd ______ for the singer to come back on stage.
Choose one answer.
The verb 'clamor' can be used intransitively with 'for' to mean demand something, but here the object of the demand is already expressed by the clause 'for the singer to come back', so no extra preposition is needed. 'Clamored for' would be redundant because 'for' already appears before 'the singer'. 'Clamored to' would need an infinitive (e.g., 'clamored to return'), and 'clamored against' would mean protest against, which does not fit the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clamor”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.