v. [f. vōciferāt-, ppl. stem of L. vōciferārī (rarely -āre), f. vōci-, vox voice + ferre to carry. Cf. F. vociférer, Sp. and Pg. vociferar, It. vociferare.]
1. intr. To cry out loudly; to bawl, to shout.
1623. Cockeram, I. Vociferate, to bray or crie out.
1672. Marvell, Reh. Transp., II. 270. You do so insult and vociferate upon it, like one of your bulky Princes [etc.].
1768. Marq. Rockingham, in G. Harris, Life Ld. Hardwicke (1847), xvi. III. 427. He vociferated beyond even his usual pitch.
1791. Cowper, Iliad, XII. 335. So they vociferating to the Greeks, Stirr’d them to battle.
1824. Miss L. M. Hawkins, Annaline, II. 196. His passion was somewhat exhausted and he ceased to vociferate.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., I. xvii. 202. They were vociferating as if to attract our attention.
2. trans. To utter in a loud voice; to shout out clamorously; to declaim or assert with loud vehemence.
The object may be either the words uttered (a), or a descriptive noun (b).
(a) 1748. Richardson, Clarissa, VI. 99. Damn’d, damn’d doings! vociferated the Peer.
1797. Mrs. Radcliffe, Italian, xvi. ‘You shall not separate me from my master, though,’ vociferated Paulo.
1816. Scott, Old Mort., xxxi. They vociferated loudly, that those who were not with them were against them.
1852. Mrs. Stowe, Uncle Tom’s C., vii. He therefore rode along … vociferating occasionally that ’twas ‘desp’t rough, and bad for Jerry’s foot.’
1871. E. C. G. Murray, Member for Paris, I. 233. ‘You shall apologize,’ vociferated the Bench.
(b) 1758. Johnson, Idler, No. 2, ¶ 6. The cook warbles her lyrics in the kitchen, and the thrasher vociferates his heroicks in the barn.
1782. V. Knox, Ess., lxxxi. (1819), II. 127. The ignorant plebeian, though he may vociferate the word Liberty in a riot, knows not how to give it an effectual support.
1802. Mrs. E. Parsons, Myst. Visit, I. 89. The nursery-maid … loudly vociferated the dreadful accident to the astonished servants.
1847. E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights, ix. He entered, vociferating oaths dreadful to hear.
1860. F. Winslow, Diseases Brain & Mind, iv. 53. I then began to vociferate a number of most incoherent expressions.
3. To drive by means of clamor.
1880. Daily Tel., 9 April. It would be worse than disappointing if Lord Beaconsfield should have been vociferated out of office merely in order to please Montenegro and Bulgaria.
Hence Vociferated ppl. a.; Vociferating vbl. sb. and ppl. a.
1617. Fletcher, Mad Lover, II. ii. Beef we can bear before us … And tubs of pork; vociferating veals.
1728. Pope, Dunc., II. Argt. Then follow the Exercises for the Poets, of tickling, vociferating, diving.
1781. Cowper, Conversat., 113. Vociferated logic kills me quite.
