scream

1 of 2

verb

screamed; screaming; screams

intransitive verb

1
a(1)
: to voice a sudden sharp loud cry
(2)
: to produce harsh high tones
b
: to make a noise resembling a scream
the siren screamed
c
: to move with great rapidity
2
a
: to speak or write with intense or hysterical emotion
b
: to protest, demand, or complain vehemently
c
: to laugh hysterically
3
: to produce a vivid startling effect

transitive verb

1
: to utter with or as if with a scream
"Use your mirror!" screamed her petrified bodyguard …Alan Coren
Fans in the mosh pit shook their fists and screamed her lyrics in unison.Neal Karlen
2
: to call (something) to mind very strongly and clearly
They may be a pain to carve, but few things scream Halloween quite like the iconic jack o'lantern.Matt Juul
There's something about Jane Austen novels, and especially Pride & Prejudice, that just screams fall reading to me.Kerry Jarema

scream

2 of 2

noun

1
: a loud sharp penetrating cry or noise
2
: a very funny person or thing

Examples of scream in a Sentence

Verb She screamed when the door suddenly slammed shut. This is so irritating I could scream. The crowd screamed with excitement. He was dragged, kicking and screaming, from the room. He screamed at her to stop. Sirens were screaming in the distance. Police cars screamed down the street. Newspaper headlines screamed about the spike in crime. Noun She let out a piercing scream. that new comedy is a scream
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The luxe brown shade screams fall, and is still neutral enough to pair with most any color top. Melony Forcier, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024 This season, nothing screams fall festivity quite like a Fair Isle sweater. Laura Jackson, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2024
Noun
And judging from the screams in the audience, their legend was born immediately. Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2024 Her work rarely has explicitly speculative elements, but here a symposium on genocide is interrupted by disembodied screams of pain—the sound of the victims of Dachau and Hiroshima. Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for scream 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scream.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English scremen; akin to Middle Dutch schreem scream

First Known Use

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a(1)

Noun

1605, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scream was in the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near scream

Cite this Entry

“Scream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scream. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

scream

1 of 2 verb
1
: to cry out, sound, or utter loudly and shrilly
2
: to move with great speed
3
a
: to produce or give a vivid, startling, or alarming effect or expression
b
: to protest, demand, or complain forcefully
screamer noun

scream

2 of 2 noun
1
: a loud shrill long cry or noise
screams of terror
2
: a very funny person or thing

More from Merriam-Webster on scream

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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