Also, at the top of one's voice. With an extremely loud voice. For example, The babies in the nursery all were crying at the top of their lungs. The noun top here refers to the greatest degree of volume [that is, loudest] rather than high pitch, a usage dating from the mid-1500s.

Country: International English | Subject Area: Body and bodily functions | Usage Type: Both or All Words Used

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• At the top of your lungs

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Prepositional phrase

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1. [] Very loudly; as loudly as [vocally] possible.Synonym: He started screaming at the top of his lungs after his team scored.

I've been wondering about that "from" - is it correct usage? I looked up the expression online and I can only find references to screaming at the top of my lungs.

Thank you!

• 2

I've heard it a couple of times with from, but now that I think of it it could have all been in songs, hehe But generally I also know that expression as scream at the top of one's lungs, so I would appreciate some input here We're dying to know what's up with that!

• 3

I know the song, but I've never thought about that before. I agree that "at" sounds better.

It's just an expression so I guess it can be whatever you want heh.

Here's a little research - Google can find 1.25 million results for "from the top of my lungs" and 14.2 million for "at the top of my lungs"

• 4

  ....

Here's a little research - Google can find 1.25 million results for "from the top of my lungs" and 14.2 million for "at the top of my lungs"

Actually, if you click through to the last page of results, there are 191 hits for "from the top of my lungs" and 228 hits for "at the top of my lungs"

• 5

  Actually, if you click through to the last page of results, there are 191 hits for "from the top of my lungs" and 228 hits for "at the top of my lungs"

The song is by 4 Non Blondes. If you Google for the pages that also have "4 non blondes": "from the top of my lungs" +"4 non blondes" you get 273. If you Google for the pages that do not have "4 non blondes": "from the top of my lungs" -"4 non blondes" you get 235. You should be able to add those together to get the total so Google says 273 + 235 = 292.

• 6

Welcome to the forums!

I would say that 'scream from the top of my lungs' is acceptable in this case. 'From the top of...' seems to indicate where the 'scream' is coming from. If I was talking about 'singing', however [which definitely is a longer action], I would be much more likely to use 'at'.

I was singing at the top of my lungs in the shower. I was singing from the top of my lungs in the shower. I don't know, the second one looks weird to me.

• 7

The correct preposition is at. We would not normally say, or write, "I was singing 'from' the top of my lungs."

If you're trying to learn correct spoken and written English, don't look to song lyrics. It's not that they're wrong; it's just that there are no rules for poems and songs. They don't have to use correct, grammatical English; poets and songwriters can use words however they like to fit their notions of rhyme, rhythm, or emotional content.

• 8

Thanks everyone!

dn88: That's exactly why I didn't rule it out immediately! It does make sense - it's a scream that comes out of my lungs, therefore, I scream from my lungs. Whereas I could be screaming at the top of my voice, but definitely not from it.

Parla: Thanks for the input! I usually have no trouble telling correct from wrong English, or correct from "weirdly phrased to fit the song". This one felt off from the beginning; I was just wondering if it could be justified somehow.

• 9

Yes, it definitely has to be 'at' with 'voice'. Anatomically, each lung has its bottom and top parts, so technically speaking a scream could come out of the top part. So while it is possible to explain 'scream from the top of your lungs' from a logical point of view, the same would not be possible at all with 'screaming from the top of your voice' — which just sounds plain wrong.

I by no means endorse screaming from the top of your lungs; I was only trying to find the logic behind it.

• 10

"Scream at the top of his lungs" is an idiom. It does not make any logical sense, but it has been around for many years and it means to scream as loudly as possible.

I have never heard "scream

from

the top of your lungs" before I saw it here, but if it is used in a song lyric anything is possible.

• 11

But it makes sense both ways, aside from personal choice, what is the rule behind it? I'm inclined to agree with AnabTg in her post

8.

Singing at the top of my voice Singing from the top of my lungs [why not?].

• 12

Is there a rule that says you can't sing from the top of your lungs? I would throw that out the window.

• 13

  Singing at the top of my voice

I've never heard that.

-- He we singing as loud as he could. That I've heard before.

• 15

To be honest, Barque, I'm not as sure now as I was when I wrote that. After you repeat this stuff to yourself so many times it all starts getting a little hazy. Things that are normal start sounding weird if you say them too many times - like certain words do.

What does it mean to be at the top of your lungs?

With an extremely loud voice. For example, The babies in the nursery all were crying at the top of their lungs . The noun top here refers to the greatest degree of volume [that is, loudest] rather than high pitch, a usage dating from the mid-1500s.nullAT THE TOP OF ONE'S LUNGS Definition & Meaning - Dictionary.comwww.dictionary.com › browse › at-the-top-of-ones-lungsnull

What does scream to the top of his lungs mean?

idiom US [UK at the top of your voice] extremely loudly: She shouted his name at the top of her lungs. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.nullMeaning of at the top of your lungs in English - Cambridge Dictionarydictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english › at-the-top-of-lungsnull

What does scream out of my lungs mean?

: as loudly as possible. She shouted at the top of her lungs.nullAt the top of one's lungs Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Websterwww.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › at the top of one's lungsnull

What does shout your lungs out mean?

It is an idiomatic phrase that is usually used to express extreme enthusiasm, encouragement, or excitement. For example, "Come on, let's show our support - shout your lungs out for the home team!".nullshout your lungs out | English examples in context - Ludwigludwig.guru › shout+your+lungs+outnull