screech owl

or screech-owl

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noun

any of numerous small American owls of the genus Otus, having hornlike tufts of feathers, as O. asio, of eastern North America.

(not in technical use) any owl having a harsh cry, especially the barn owl.

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Origin of screech owl

First recorded in 1585–95

Words nearby screech owl

screamo, scream therapy, scree, screech, screeching, screech owl, screechy, screed, screen, Screen Actors Guild, screenager

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use screech owl in a sentence

This video remedies that injustice, showcasing an owl doing a butterfly stroke in Lake Michigan.
Swimming Owls, Jane Krakowski’s Peter Pan Live! Audition, and More Viral Videos|The Daily Beast Video|December 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I guess some part of me will always be Screech,” young Diamond says at the end of the film.
How Bad Was 'The Unauthorized Saved By the Bell Story'?|Kevin Fallon|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But if you say Screech or the guy from Clueless, who are people going to know?
'Saved by the Bell' Star Dustin Diamond Doesn't Want to Be a Jerk Anymore|Kevin Fallon|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yeah, and especially me, because the Screech character was so hard to shake.
'Saved by the Bell' Star Dustin Diamond Doesn't Want to Be a Jerk Anymore|Kevin Fallon|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Well, he came across like Screech from Saved By the Bell, only without the necessary follicles to sustain a Jewfro.
Iowa GOP Senate Debate Shows Divides|Ben Jacobs|April 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The old owl no longer hooted, and the water-oaks had ceased to moan as they bent their heads.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Now under the ivy-laden branches of a tall old tree an owl startles them with its shriek.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
That screech was so blamed genuwine I almost fergot to stick out my laig and trip Boston as he come by me.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates
He peers out through his black-rimmed eyeglasses with the solemnity of an owl—but you should hear his songs!
The Real Latin Quarter|F. Berkeley Smith
Others sit, on the full stare, eyes fixed as those of an owl, upon the speaker.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley

British Dictionary definitions for screech owl

screech owl

noun

a small North American owl, Otus asio, having ear tufts and a reddish-brown or grey plumage

British any owl that utters a screeching cry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012