screech

noun \ ˈskrēch \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: screech in a Sentence

Definition of screech

1 : a high shrill piercing cry usually expressing pain or terror

2 : a sound resembling a screech

See screech defined for English-language learners

See screech defined for kids

Examples of screech in a Sentence

With a loud screech, she smashed the plate against the wall.

Recent Examples of screech from the Web

But the visualization shows the midsection buzz transforming into a more piercing screech to overcome the pump’s din.

— hiroko tabuchi, New York Times, "Near Noisy Oil Fields, Lovesick Birds Change Their Tunes," 13 Mar. 2018
Houses and buildings in Dogtown are wrapped in scaffolding, and the whirring screech of power saws every morning can substitute for an alarm clock.

— otis r. taylor jr., San Francisco Chronicle, "In Oakland, this is gentrification when it knocks on your door," 19 Apr. 2018
Marco Beltrami’s score is fairly traditional for the genre, combining mechanical screeches with strings and a deep threatening bass.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "Sight and Silence," 11 Apr. 2018
The official sound of the 2018 Winter Olympics is quickly becoming the screech of emergency alerts on people's cellphones.

— author: andrew keh, Anchorage Daily News, "This is not a drill: Emergency cellphone alerts at the Winter Games become annoying," 14 Feb. 2018
Growly, subterranean pedal points and eerie screeches signal the three murders, evoked in animated silhouette by Nichols’ artfully gruesome projections.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "Chicago Opera Theater's 'Elizabeth Cree' is a bloody good show," 11 Feb. 2018
Even Thom Weaver’s blindingly white set alienates, and Chris Sannino’s sound design agitates with quiet, low electronic tones that underscore scenes with a drone or screech.

— jim rutter, Philly.com, "'Really' at Theatre Exile: A play in search of excitement," 1 Feb. 2018
The tower's steel girders shivered and, with a mighty screech, bent in two.

— the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Clarence Beavers, last of the original Triple Nickles, dies," 29 Dec. 2017
The screech and clang of metal were followed by silence, then screams, as the injured cried out to rescuers and motorists pulled over and rushed to help.

— michael balsamo and haven daley, Houston Chronicle, "Official: Feds look at whether train engineer was distracted," 19 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'screech.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of screech

1560

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

screech

verb

Definition of screech

screeched; screeching; screeches

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

: to utter with or as if with a screech

—

screecher

noun

See screech defined for English-language learners

Examples of screech in a Sentence

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 of screech from the Web

To make the humans happy, the screeching white feather balls got names.

— tom leyden, Indianapolis Star, "Whitehead and Webster, Downtown's new peregrine falcon bros," 5 June 2018
Sporting a bodacious mullet, Ranallo screeched and spat at the camera.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "The 'Bipolar Rock 'N' Roller' calls some of combat sports' biggest events. But his real fight is against the stigma of mental illness," 23 May 2018
The brakes screech, too, and don’t allow a rider to apply much variable pressure.

— Washington Post, "Review: LimeBike’s new dockless scooters are a whimsical ride but not a practical one," 4 Apr. 2018
Suddenly, a squad car screeched to a stop in front of the house.

— Detroit Free Press, "He helped start 1967 Detroit riot, now his son struggles with the legacy," 15 May 2018
This has created a disparity of taxes that may come to a dramatic, screeching halt if the tax cap disappears in November.

— barry sharpe, miamiherald, "Florida’s real estate bubble: We may now know when it will pop | Miami Herald," 14 May 2018
When the last oil boom in the Permian Basin screeched to a halt in 2014, something unexpected happened — families stuck around.

— sally beauvais, star-telegram, "Once the inspiration for "Friday Night Lights," this Texas school is now overcrowded | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 7 Apr. 2018
This is a collection of those rants, and some of them are so hysterically funny and foul that one best be careful while driving, as this reviewer nearly drove herself off the road while screeching with laughter.

— rochelle o'gorman, latimes.com, "With days like these, take time to listen and laugh," 24 Mar. 2018
No one warned me, however, that loud sounds — one screeching singer at a concert or a construction drill — could permanently wreck my hearing.

— julia belluz, Vox, "Noise isn’t just annoying — it wrecks our hearing," 9 May 2018

Origin and Etymology of screech

alteration of earlier scritch, from Middle English scrichen; akin to Old Norse skrækja to screech

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1577

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

screech Synonyms

SCREECH Defined for English Language Learners

screech

noun

Definition of screech for English Language Learners

: a loud and very high cry that usually expresses extreme pain, anger, or fear
: a loud and very high sound

screech

verb

Definition of screech for English Language Learners

: to cry out or shout in a loud and very high voice because of extreme pain, anger, fear, etc.
: to make a loud and very high sound

SCREECH Defined for Kids

screech

verb \ ˈskrēch \

Definition of screech for Students

screeched; screeching

1 : to make a high-pitched harsh sound

2 : to utter with a high-pitched harsh sound

3 : to cry out in a loud, high-pitched way (as in terror or pain)

screech

noun

Definition of screech for Students

1 : a high-pitched harsh cry

the screech of an owl

2 : a high-pitched harsh sound

the screech of brakes

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screech

Definition of screech

Examples of screech in a Sentence

Recent Examples of screech from the Web

First Known Use of screech

screech

Definition of screech

screecher

Examples of screech in a Sentence

Recent Examples of screech from the Web

Origin and Etymology of screech

screech Synonyms

Synonyms

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SCREECH Defined for English Language Learners

screech

Definition of screech for English Language Learners

screech

Definition of screech for English Language Learners

SCREECH Defined for Kids

screech

Definition of screech for Students

screech

Definition of screech for Students

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