at the top of one's voice
2
4.1
- idiom
- Informal
:
a todo pulmón
- Every night at ten, the drunks spill out, shouting at the top of their voices.
- shouting at the top of their voices
- screaming at the top of his voice
- yelling at the top of his voice
Examples
-
"Stay close!" she shouted at the top of her voice.
Fiction book (2002) -
She sang her favorite song at the top of her voice to express her joy.
-
And, my dear Chief Justice, she was cheering at the top of her voice.
-
Breathe from the bottom of your lungs and speak at the top of your voice.
-
And young Ty next to her is also singing at the top of his voice.
Fiction book (1994) -
Something with a little give and take," Eugene cried at the top of his voice.
Fiction book (1995) -
Hum it, hum it, until you can sing it at the top of your voice.
-
Suddenly, the Dervish Captain shouts at the top of his voice.
Fiction book (2002) -
Giving him no time to think his way out of the impasse, she cried out at the top of her voice, "Treason."
Fiction book (2002) -
Seeing Lucian and Fronto hurrying from the yard, he began bawling at the top of his voice: "Thief!"
Fiction book (1995)
Synonyms
172
1.0
In a way that makes a lot of noise
17
4.4
Use all your voice to shout or sing very loudly
7
7.2
Extremely, often in a loud or very strong way
1
7.2
In a very loud and excited way
Spoken in a very loud and strong voice
In a very loud and powerful way
Antonyms
How Loud
- Informal
17
4.4
- Informal
2
4.1
172
1.0
517
1.0
586
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
at + the + top + of + one's + voice
The meaning 'as loudly as possible' is directly derivable from 'top' (highest level) + 'voice' (sound produced by speaking): being 'at the top of one's voice' naturally conveys using the voice at its highest/intense level. This compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows normal English morphology, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
At the top of one's voice may come from the image of putting your voice at the top, like turning the volume up to the highest level or climbing onto a roof to shout so people can hear you. That's why it means 'as loudly as you can'.