shriek
a loud, sharp, shrill cry.
a loud, high sound of laughter.
any loud, shrill sound, as of a whistle.
to utter a loud, sharp, shrill cry, as birds.
to cry out sharply in a high voice: to shriek with pain.
to utter loud, high-pitched sounds in laughing.
(of a musical instrument, a whistle, the wind, etc.) to give forth a loud, shrill sound.
to utter in a shriek: to shriek defiance.
Origin of shriek
1synonym study For shriek
Other words for shriek
Other words from shriek
- shrieker, noun
- shriek·ing·ly, adverb
- shrieky, adjective
- outshriek, verb (used with object)
Words Nearby shriek
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shriek in a sentence
Shrieks of wintering birds assault the vessel’s five crew members, all clad in bright orange flotation suits.
Electrical bacteria may help clean oil spills and curb methane emissions | Nikk Ogasa | July 29, 2022 | Science NewsParticularly striking was a harsh sound that changed pitch quickly and unpredictably—qualities also heard in the alarm shrieks, fear screams, and panic calls of mammals and birds.
These honeybees have a surprisingly fierce battle cry | Kate Baggaley | November 10, 2021 | Popular-ScienceAfter a recent day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia, I can assure them that a piece of fabric does not muffle shrieks.
Theme parks aim to keep visitors safe — and screaming | Andrea Sachs | May 21, 2021 | Washington PostThe night of the downpour we slept under a hardware-store tarp in a patch of skunkweed near the river, and I stayed awake listening to the wind in case it ramped up to that high shriek that means treetops are going to start snapping.
Students moan and growl and shriek and yawp, as if exorcising demons in a ritualistic ceremony.
How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze | Lizzie Crocker | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
A shriek of glee briefly broke out across the Web as inquiring minds tried to deduce who was the lucky lady.
My Bizarre Night With James Deen, Libertarian Porn Star | Emily Shire | November 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEven her brother, Sheriff, who tried to pick her up to cuddle her, was pushed away with a firm “no” and a shriek.
For all its performance art and immersive theater foundation, the show also has its own shriek moments.
One nurse pushed her hip alarm and the pulsing shriek rang out again.
Inside a Hospital for the Criminally Insane | Caitlin Dickson | September 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAs she peered into the face of Dr. Ashton, her own was scarlet and yellow, and her voice rose to a shriek.
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodHe was hurrying towards the corner of the palace grounds when a shriek from Winifred set his teeth on edge.
The Red Year | Louis TracyNow under the ivy-laden branches of a tall old tree an owl startles them with its shriek.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le FanuThen a moan, then a howl and a shriek arose which reached from group to group, from house to house, from square to forest.
A Lost Hero | Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. WardAbove the uproar of the reeling earth the shriek of the train sounded in his deafened ears.
A Lost Hero | Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward and Herbert D. Ward
British Dictionary definitions for shriek
/ (ʃriːk) /
a shrill and piercing cry
to produce or utter (words, sounds, etc) in a shrill piercing tone
Origin of shriek
1Derived forms of shriek
- shrieker, noun
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
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