exclamation mark
(North American exclamation point)
Grammar
The main use of the exclamation mark is to end sentences that express: an exclamation: ‘With a fixed bayonet! A fixed bayonet!’ he repeated incredulously. direct speech spoken loudly or shouted: ‘The first one ... the first!’ everybody yelled. something that the writer or speaker finds amusing: Her son was the biggest poacher — he was a devil: he’d rob your house in the middle of the day and let you see him! It can also be used in brackets after a statement that the writer finds amusing or ironic: I look ruddy, muscly, well covered (!), and just, shall we say, solid.