screed

[ skreed ]

/ skrid /

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noun

a long discourse or essay, especially a diatribe.

an informal letter, account, or other piece of writing.

Building Trades.

a strip of plaster or wood applied to a surface to be plastered to serve as a guide for making a true surface.
a wooden strip serving as a guide for making a true level surface on a concrete pavement or the like.
a board or metal strip dragged across a freshly poured concrete slab to give it its proper level.

British Dialect. a fragment or shred, as of cloth.

Scot.

a tear or rip, especially in cloth.
a drinking bout.

verb (used with or without object)

Scot. to tear, rip, or shred, as cloth.

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Origin of screed

1275–1325; Middle English screde torn fragment, irregular (with sc- for sh-) representing Old English scrēadeshred

Words nearby screed

scree, screech, screeching, screech owl, screechy, screed, screen, Screen Actors Guild, screenager, screen dump, screen grid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use screed in a sentence

Plus, this isn’t a screed as much as a search for solutions.
Long games, late nights: Once again, MLB’s playoffs are a slog|Barry Svrluga|October 28, 2021|Washington Post
His screed “The Politician” called President Eisenhower a “dedicated, conscious agent of the Communist conspiracy.”
Long before QAnon, Ronald Reagan and the GOP purged John Birch extremists from the party|Erick Trickey|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
For example, reviews that award between two and four stars are less likely to be screeds or fakes.
How to spot fake reviews on travel sites|Roy Furchgott|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
Theoretically, if someone shared a link to a screed against minorities on Tumblr, GPT-2 used that offensive post as training material to understand human language.
Your favorite A.I. language tool is toxic|jonathanvanian2015|September 29, 2020|Fortune

"It is very arduous, very rugged with rocks, boulders and loose screed," she said.
Hillwalkers Rescued by William: We Prefer Harry|Tom Sykes|October 4, 2012|DAILY BEAST
No word yet from Commentary (which has devoted a grand total of one screed to the hunger strikers thus far).
Striking a Deal|Peter Beinart|May 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One blackly funny screed in the book is directed at Harry and David's gift baskets.
A Widow's Tale|Jennie Yabroff|February 15, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Professors Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer, author of the screed, The Israel Lobby, are right about that.
The Arab Lobby Rules America|Alan M. Dershowitz|August 24, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The media took notice: My screed appeared in New York magazine and on various gossip blogs.
Mea Culpa, Kiddo|Marty Beckerman|August 14, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Mony's the time I hae ettled to send ye a screed, but there was aye something that cam' i' the gait.
Penelope's Experiences in Scotland|Kate Douglas Wiggin
Swift and snappish, out came the long screed, while the old woman's eyes were fiery and her cheeks flushed.
Memoirs of a Surrey Labourer|George Sturt (AKA George Bourne)
Stephen read this screed to the end, then crumpled it in his fist and threw it angrily on the floor.
Cap'n Warren's Wards|Joseph C. Lincoln
Only a few sentences of the long, incoherent screed in her hand penetrated to Kate's brain.
Kildares of Storm|Eleanor Mercein Kelly
At any rate I did despatch you—supposedly via San Francisco—a really pretty long screed about a month ago.
The Letters of Henry James (volume I)|Henry James

British Dictionary definitions for screed

screed

/ (skriːd) /

noun

a long or prolonged speech or piece of writing

a strip of wood, plaster, or metal placed on a surface to act as a guide to the thickness of the cement or plaster coat to be applied

a mixture of cement, sand, and water applied to a concrete slab, etc, to give a smooth surface finish

Scot a rent or tear or the sound produced by this

Word Origin for screed

C14: probably variant of Old English scrēade shred

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

screed

Origin of screed

Words nearby screed

Words related to screed

How to use screed in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for screed

Word Origin for screed