1
: a high shrill piercing cry usually expressing pain or terror
2
: a sound resembling a screech
screeched; screeching; screeches
1
: to utter a high shrill piercing cry : make an outcry usually in terror or pain
2
: to make a shrill high-pitched sound resembling a screech
also
: to move with such a sound
the car screeched to a stop
: to utter with or as if with a screech
screecher
noun
Synonyms
Examples of screech in a Sentence
Noun
With a loud screech, she smashed the plate against the wall.
Verb
I screeched when I saw the mouse.
He kept screeching at the children to pay attention.
“You can't do this to me!” she screeched.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023
The explosion came suddenly, without the air-tearing screech that precedes an incoming shell.
—James Verini Paolo Pellegrin, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Her wild screeches in the dark cause real goosebumps.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2023
Similar to the screeches of the raptors that inhabited the region many millennia ago, the researchers say that the instruments imitated the sounds of the Eurasian kestrel and Eurasian sparrowhawk.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2023
On a rainy April evening, not even the thunderous downpour could prevent a cacophony of screeches from erupting at an Atlanta venue when a mysterious blonde appears in the crowd.
—Deasia Paige, ELLE, 23 Aug. 2023
One recent afternoon in western Kabul, a popular cafe buzzed with the screeches of an espresso machine.
—Christina Goldbaum Jim Huylebroek, New York Times, 29 June 2023
The comedian’s satirical performance was rife with intentionally abrasive squawks and screeches, topped off by the Roseanne star grabbing her crotch before spitting on the ground in an exaggerated fashion.
—Colin Scanlon, Redbook, 20 June 2023
As race cars turn and brake, as tires screech, fine particulate matter is released into the air.
—Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2023
Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 18 Oct. 2023
The doom and gloom that too many Americans screech about on social media and in their personal lives — on both sides of the red-blue divide — is a betrayal of what brought their ancestors here, and what continues to attract people from across the world.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
As the scene plays out, Hackman's Doyle is seen speeding through the streets, pounding on his horn, bouncing off fenders, barreling through trash cans, almost spinning out of control to a symphony of screeching tires, and nearly striking a pedestrian wheeling a baby carriage.
—Adam Bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2023
But on the evening of July 26, two women staying in the large turret room of the home were shocked awake by screeching noises and dark shapes moving along the walls, the complaint said.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2023
But in May 1913, his prolific career came to a screeching halt.
—Angela Aleiss, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Oct. 2023
In the early fall, ospreys, hawks and eagles swoop in, screeching and hungry.
—Adam Erace, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2023
The Writers Guild of America, with more than 11,000 members, and SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 film and television actors, both went on strike early this summer against Hollywood studios, bringing filming to a screeching halt.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 30 Sep. 2023
Every few minutes, on the mountain highway connecting the Armenian capital, Yerevan, with an area called the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh, another ambulance screeched by late Tuesday, the blue lights illuminating the night.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023
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Noun
Alongside its feline screech and its avian snarl, the griffin resonated in ancient and medieval minds as a symbol of strength.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 30 Oct. 2023
The explosion came suddenly, without the air-tearing screech that precedes an incoming shell.
—James Verini Paolo Pellegrin, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Her wild screeches in the dark cause real goosebumps.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2023
Similar to the screeches of the raptors that inhabited the region many millennia ago, the researchers say that the instruments imitated the sounds of the Eurasian kestrel and Eurasian sparrowhawk.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2023
On a rainy April evening, not even the thunderous downpour could prevent a cacophony of screeches from erupting at an Atlanta venue when a mysterious blonde appears in the crowd.
—Deasia Paige, ELLE, 23 Aug. 2023
One recent afternoon in western Kabul, a popular cafe buzzed with the screeches of an espresso machine.
—Christina Goldbaum Jim Huylebroek, New York Times, 29 June 2023
The comedian’s satirical performance was rife with intentionally abrasive squawks and screeches, topped off by the Roseanne star grabbing her crotch before spitting on the ground in an exaggerated fashion.
—Colin Scanlon, Redbook, 20 June 2023
As race cars turn and brake, as tires screech, fine particulate matter is released into the air.
—Chicago Tribune Staff, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2023
Verb
The camera pans to two cars performing screeching donuts on the other side of the tunnel as more than 100 wild spectators look on.
—Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 18 Oct. 2023
The doom and gloom that too many Americans screech about on social media and in their personal lives — on both sides of the red-blue divide — is a betrayal of what brought their ancestors here, and what continues to attract people from across the world.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
As the scene plays out, Hackman's Doyle is seen speeding through the streets, pounding on his horn, bouncing off fenders, barreling through trash cans, almost spinning out of control to a symphony of screeching tires, and nearly striking a pedestrian wheeling a baby carriage.
—Adam Bernstein, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2023
But on the evening of July 26, two women staying in the large turret room of the home were shocked awake by screeching noises and dark shapes moving along the walls, the complaint said.
—Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2023
But in May 1913, his prolific career came to a screeching halt.
—Angela Aleiss, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Oct. 2023
In the early fall, ospreys, hawks and eagles swoop in, screeching and hungry.
—Adam Erace, WSJ, 12 Oct. 2023
The Writers Guild of America, with more than 11,000 members, and SAG-AFTRA, which represents 160,000 film and television actors, both went on strike early this summer against Hollywood studios, bringing filming to a screeching halt.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 30 Sep. 2023
Every few minutes, on the mountain highway connecting the Armenian capital, Yerevan, with an area called the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh, another ambulance screeched by late Tuesday, the blue lights illuminating the night.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'screech.' 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
alteration of earlier scritch, from Middle English scrichen; akin to Old Norse skrækja to screech
First Known Use
Noun
1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1577, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Phrases Containing screech
Articles Related to screech
Dictionary Entries Near screech
Cite this Entry
“Screech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screech. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
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Kids Definition
screech
1 of 2 noun1
: a shrill harsh cry usually expressing pain or terror
2
: a sound like a screech
the screech of brakes
screech
2 of 2 verb1
: to cry out usually in terror or pain
2
: to make a sound like a screech
the car screeched to a halt
screecher
noun
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