ISI Swear EnglishLearn English Online

Phrasal Verbs

Yell At

What does the phrasal verb 'Yell At' mean? Clear definitions, real examples and a short video, explained by a British English teacher.

I Swear English › Phrasal Verbs › Yell At

What does ‘Yell At’ mean?

Related forms: (transitive)(inseparable)

To speak to somebody loudly in an angry way. To shout at somebody with anger. It is possible to use yell at metaphorically to mean, to be angry with somebody, but not necessarily with a raised voice. Notice this verb is inseparable. "You yell at him." Not. "You yell him at."

“Before the fight broke out the two men had been yelling at each other”.
“When I get home, mum's going to yell at me for tearing my new trousers”.
“Notice if yell to a person, this means you shout with the intention of the other person hearing you, but without anger. The same happens with shout at and shout to”.
“I yelled to him so that he could hear”.
“I yelled at him because I was angry with him”.
“Try shouting to him, but if he can't hear you, you'll have to go and tell him”.

Watch: ‘Yell At’ explained

Video transcript

Hi there. To yell at. OK. Phrasal verb. To speak to somebody loudly with anger. Yell at somebody. To be angry with somebody. To shout at somebody. OK, this phrasal verb can be literal. OK, to speak loudly with angry words. He yelled at me. He yelled at me to stop. Or it can just mean to be angry with. OK, it... it's er.. metaphorical, using angry but probably not shouting. Erm... kids say, "My mum always yells at me. Maybe she doesn't shout but she's angry. Please don't yell at me. Please don't be angry with me. OK, one thing that's important with this. Notice, to yell to is completely different. OK, to yell to is to shout to somebody for something. Um... "I've forgotten my keys. Yell to my brother upstairs to throw them down." To shout, to send information, but not angrily. So, I yelled at my brother, I was angry with him. I yelled to him, I shouted so that he could hear. OK. Um... notice, yell at somebody, I yelled at him. It's inseparable. OK. Transitive and inseparable. Thanks for watching. See you soon.

Synonyms for ‘yell at’ & how to use it

To yell at someone means to shout at them loudly and angrily. It is a separable idea but usually stays together: “Stop yelling at me!”

StrengthWays to say ‘yell at’
Neutralshout at, call out to, raise your voice at
Angry / loudscream at, bawl at, holler at, bellow at, roar at, snap at
Telling offtell off, tick off (British), rebuke, scold, chew out (American)

The past tense is yelled at. A common synonym for “yelled at” is shouted at or screamed at. Note the preposition: you yell at a person, but yell something to someone to pass on information (“She yelled to me that the taxi had arrived.”)

More phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs are everywhere in natural English. Keep building your collection:

Add OnAdd UpBe OffBe Up ToCarry OnCould Do WithGet AtKick OffWork Off

All phrasal verbs → Vocabulary A-Z