loud

loud

I

loud¹ S2 W3 /laʊd/ adjective (comparative louder, superlative loudest)1. making a lot of noise
   OPP  quiet:
    The book fell to the floor with a loud bang.
    The music was so loud that I had to shout.
    ‘Who’s there?’ asked David in a loud voice.
2. someone who is loud talks too loudly and confidently:
    The more Tom drank, the louder he became.
3. loud clothes are too bright or have too many bright patterns
   SYN  garish, gaudy:
    a loud checked suit
4. be loud in your praise/opposition/support etc to express your approval or disapproval very strongly:
    The local business community was loud in its support for the scheme.
—loudly adverb:
    Ben laughed loudly.
    She spoke more loudly than she intended.
—loudness noun [uncountable]
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ loud making a lot of noise – used about sounds, voices, or music: a loud explosion | He was talking in a very loud voice. | The music was too loud.
   ▪ noisy making a lot of noise – used about people, machines, and places that annoy you: The traffic was so noisy. | noisy neighbours | a noisy bar
   ▪ rowdy rowdy people behave in a noisy and uncontrolled way. A rowdy place such as a bar is full of noisy people, often behaving badly: rowdy football fans | a rowdy bar
   ▪ raucous /ˈrɔːkəs $ ˈrɒː-/ especially written unpleasantly loud – used about the excited sound of groups of people: raucous laughter | raucous crowds
   ▪ resounding [only before noun] used to describe a loud noise when something hits another thing, that seems to continue for a few seconds. Also used about people cheering or shouting loudly: The door hit the wall with a resounding crash. | a resounding cheer
■ very loud
   ▪ thunderous extremely loud and deep in sound: His remarks received thunderous applause from the audience.
   ▪ deafening /ˈdefənɪŋ/ so loud that you cannot hear anything else: The noise was deafening – like a thousand fireworks going off at one time. | People living near airports suffer the deafening sound of aircraft taking off and landing.
   ▪ ear-splitting so loud that your ears feel uncomfortable: He played the music at ear-splitting volume.
   ▪ piercing extremely loud, high, and unpleasant to hear: a piercing scream
■ COLLOCATIONS CHECK
   ▪ loud sound/voice/music
   ▪ noisy person/place/machine/traffic
   ▪ rowdy crowd/fans/bar
   ▪ raucous laughter/crowd/atmosphere
   ▪ resounding thud/crash/cheer/applause
   ▪ thunderous applause
   ▪ deafening sound/noise
   ▪ piercing voice/scream/whistle/sound

II

loud² S3 adverb (comparative louder, superlative loudest)1. spoken in a way that makes a lot of noise
   SYN  loudly:
    Could you speak a little louder?
    You’ve got the telly on too loud.
2. loud and clear in a way that is very easy to understand:
    The message came through loud and clear.
3. out loud in such a way that people can hear you
   SYN  aloud:
    Read it out loud, so we can all hear.
    Harriet laughed out loud in astonishment.
⇨ actions speak louder than words at action¹(13), ⇨ for crying out loud at cry¹(4)