screed

noun

ˈskrēd 

1

a

: a lengthy discourse

b

: an informal piece of writing (such as a personal letter)

c

: a ranting piece of writing

2

: a strip (as of a plaster of the thickness planned for the coat) laid on as a guide

3

: a leveling device drawn over freshly poured concrete

Examples of screed in a Sentence

In her screed against the recording industry, she blamed her producer for ruining her career.

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump has been more active than ever on social media in his second term, including posting lengthy all-caps screeds offering vacillating updates on the war. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026

In 1986, The New York Times ran a screed against a film-restoration trend gaining steam. —David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2026

Both men had illustrious careers with plenty of ups and downs before this scathing screed, yet the movie is the cornerstone of their respective legacies. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2026

Which still doesn’t entirely assuage my guilt when the Atlantic runs yet another transphobic screed. —Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English screde fragment, alteration of Old English scrēade — more at shred entry 1

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for screed

• bead
• bleed
• brede
• breed
• cede
• creed
• deed
• feed
• freed
• greed
• heed
• keyed