exclamation point

noun

1. the sign (!) used in writing after an exclamation.

2. this mark sometimes used in writing two or more times in succession to indicate intensity of emotion, loudness, etc..

   Long live the Queen!!

3. this mark sometimes used without accompanying words in writing direct discourse to indicate a speaker's dumbfounded astonishment.

   “His wife just gave birth to quintuplets.”(!)

exclamation point

1. A punctuation mark (!) used after an abrupt and emphatic statement or after a command: “‘Help!’ he cried, as his boat floated toward the edge of Niagara Falls.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of exclamation point¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Fox News has never been bothered by the Trumpian approach to social media, with its all-caps posts and multiple exclamation points.

From Los Angeles Times

"It was wild, but it worked... He's the good kind of crazy," she said, calling her boyfriend "a human exclamation point".

From BBC

A six-time national champion and three-time world champion, Chen put an exclamation point on his career with a dominant performance in Beijing.

From Los Angeles Times

Five consecutive birdies to finish his round gave the watching crowd what they had hoped for with a monster putt on the 18th providing the exclamation point to the piece of history.

From BBC

Disneyland has brought back the lively, LED-driven parade that is “Paint the Night,” an upbeat and festive jolt of energy that serves as an exclamation point on a day at the park.

From Los Angeles Times