shriek
Americannoun
-
shrieks
plural
verb (used without object)
-
shrieks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shrieked,
past participle, past
-
shrieking
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
shrieks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
shrieked,
past participle, past
-
shrieking
present participle
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See scream.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
shrieksimple
-
shriekssimple
-
have shriekedperfect
-
has shriekedperfect
-
am shriekingprogressive
-
are shriekingprogressive
-
is shriekingprogressive
-
have been shriekingperfect progressive
-
has been shriekingperfect progressive
Past
-
shriekedsimple
-
had shriekedperfect
-
was shriekingprogressive
-
were shriekingprogressive
-
had been shriekingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing shriek
Instead of "Said": Words For Sad Speech
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Charlotte's Web": Chapter One
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But AI remains unregulated, shriek those wedded to an undynamic view of reality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
I brace my nervous system for the piercing shriek, let it play like my own little theme song.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
A shriek broke the dawn on the savannah, followed by more screeches and the rustle of branches: The wild Fongoli chimps were bidding each other good morning in the dry, scraggly Sahel.
From Barron's ● Jan. 15, 2026
The latest episode of The Celebrity Traitors has taken place, and all we're talking about is which celebrity can shriek the best.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2025
People crowded around me, trying to pat the baby who had caused all this excitement—although he was no beauty, with puckered face and mouth opened wide to emit shriek after shriek.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
In early July, terrifying shrieks were heard across Kyiv.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
It’s one of those Los Angeles gas stations that garners gasps, even shrieks, from Angelenos shocked by the cost per gallon, which is perpetually priced above other pumps across the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
When the congregation responds with rhythmic panting that slowly builds to shrieks of grief and passion, Ann finally feels at home — the burdens she’s been carrying all her life, cast into the ether.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
"Celia shrieks strangely," read one, while another said: "They repeat the wail."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2025
I was trying to force my voice to remain calm with the result that all the unreleased shrieks were clogging my throat.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
“So excited for my cortado! I wonder how it will taste!” he shrieked at his screen as he spun around the room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The Bob Baker Marionettes knew their audience very well — the crowd shrieked along to the chorus.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026
"How do you think I feel?... He set me up," he shrieked.
From BBC ● Jan. 10, 2026
At the second smaller stage, dancers shrieked as confetti cannons fired simultaneously with a bass drop, glitter falling like shimmering rain.
From Barron's ● Nov. 23, 2025
Sunny shrieked, banging on the table with her oatmeal spoon.
From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket
When it was over, the sound of children shrieking “Puka!” reverberated off the bleachers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
The second pilot meets their passengers’ fear with hysteria, shrieking, outburst—that pilot shames their passengers, saying, “I can’t do my job because of YOU.”
From Slate ● May 10, 2026
Claudius has made himself a monarch again, standing at the head of a shrieking horde of desperate peasantry who believe he can unbar the door to that heavenly place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
I’ll pause here for general gasping and shrieking, and murmurs of, “Wait, there’s a dividend?”
From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025
Cracks appeared in the brick walls, and the wood in the roof began to crack, shrieking as if in pain.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
