shouts

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of shout.

   She shouts whenever the dog darts toward the road.

   The coach shouts instructions from the sideline all game.

   Note

   Like the verb itself, this form can stand alone or take an object. It stands alone in "he shouts at the dog" and takes the thing cried in "she shouts a warning." In Australian and New Zealand slang it means paying for others, as in "he shouts the drinks." Online, someone who shouts is typing in capitals. Context tells these apart.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of shout.

   Angry shouts echoed down the narrow alley after midnight.

   The protesters' shouts grew louder as the evening wore on.

   Note

   The plural counts more than cries. In British, Australian and New Zealand slang a shout is a round of drinks, so friends can trade shouts all evening. British and Australian slang also uses it for emergency call-outs, and informally shouts are on-air greetings or name-checks. The same spelling is the present-tense verb, so a crowd's shouts and a crowd that shouts look identical on the page.

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