screech
verb (used without object)
to utter or make a harsh, shrill cry or sound.
were screeching
-
past progressiveof screech.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Several minutes later, personal cellphones around Seoul were screeching with a government alert urging residents to “prepare to evacuate,” children and the old and weak first.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2023
By evening, areas from Philadelphia to New York to Connecticut were in their first-ever flash flood emergency, and cellphones were screeching with multiple Weather Service and local government alerts.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2021
One afternoon in January, machines were screeching, sparks were flying and 74 employees were working on dozens of sculptures-in-progress.
From New York Times ● Jan. 31, 2015
The faces of some were painted blue, he says, and they were "screeching" at each other at the top of their lungs.
From Time Magazine Archive
It seemed like this one never would, but brakes were screeching and the clickety-clacks on the rails were slowing, so I knew the engineer was trying to stop.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
