shriek

American  

[shreek] / ʃrik /

noun

1. a loud, sharp, shrill cry.

   Synonyms:

   screech, scream

2. a loud, high sound of laughter.

3. any loud, shrill sound, as of a whistle.

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verb (used without object)

1. to utter a loud, sharp, shrill cry, as birds.

2. to cry out sharply in a high voice.

   to shriek with pain.

   Synonyms:

   screech, scream

3. to utter loud, high-pitched sounds in laughing.

4. (of a musical instrument, a whistle, the wind, etc.) to give forth a loud, shrill sound.

verb (used with object)

1. to utter in a shriek.

   to shriek defiance.

shriek British  

/ ʃriːk /

noun

1. a shrill and piercing cry

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verb

1. to produce or utter (words, sounds, etc) in a shrill piercing tone

Related Words

See scream.

Other Word Forms

• outshriek
  verb (used with object)
• shrieker
  noun
• shriekingly
  adverb
• shrieky
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of shriek

First recorded in 1560–70; earlier shrick, northern variant of shritch (now dialect), Middle English schrichen, back formation from Old English scriccettan; akin to shrike

Explanation

A high-pitched, piercing cry is a shriek. A common response to finding a snake curled in the silverware drawer would be to shriek. You can shriek in fear, surprise, or even shriek with laughter. If the sound you make is high, sharp, and loud, it's a shriek. A teenager who sees her favorite movie star might shriek, "Look who it is!" And, little kids in an inflatable bouncy house will very likely shriek with delight. The word shriek sounds very much like what it means, and its Old Norse root skrækja, "to screech," may have originated for that very reason.

Example Sentences

Frances, known in comics as Shriek, has a special, deadly power: Her voice is loud enough to crush the objects around her.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 30, 2021

Naomie Harris plays Shriek, Carnage’s love interest in the comics.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2021

You started your career with New Weird novels such as Shriek and Finch, while the Southern Reach trilogy and Hummingbird Salamander feel like they're tied a bit more to the real world.

From The Verge • Oct. 3, 2017

Shriek or no shriek, this is still Jason Statham.

From The Guardian • Jun. 21, 2013

Shriek like a howler monkey, and start slapping myself like I’d gone wild and maybe see if I could scare them away.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• howl
• screech
• squawk
• squeal
• wail
• whoop