shrieked; shrieking; shrieks
1
: to utter a sharp shrill sound
2
a
: to cry out in a high-pitched voice : screech
b
: to suggest such a cry (as by vividness of expression)
… neon colors shrieked for attention.—
Calvin Tomkins
Calvin Tomkins1
: to utter with a shriek
shriek an alarm
2
: to express in a manner suggestive of a shriek
1
: a shrill usually wild or involuntary cry
2
: a sound resembling a shriek
the shriek of chalk on the blackboard
Examples of shriek in a Sentence
Verb
The birds were shrieking in the trees.
She shrieked when she saw a mouse.
Noun
the shriek of the train's brakes
Recent Examples on the Web
Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 June 2026
As the noise-rap-electro act Jane Remover shrieked and pleaded through a 90-minute marathon set at the Fonda on Thursday night, one very young couple dressed right out of a conservative‘s nightmare — gender-ambiguous, purple hair, facial piercings — tapped me on the shoulder.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2026
Today, however, after decades of angry seatbelt alarms and parking sensor shrieks, a polite musical chime almost seems civilized.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shriek
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Verb
Fans shrieked and hollered as every player in the realmwide war — Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), the Sea Snake (Steve Toussaint) and his nemesis Lohar (Abigail Thorn) — popped up.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 June 2026
As the noise-rap-electro act Jane Remover shrieked and pleaded through a 90-minute marathon set at the Fonda on Thursday night, one very young couple dressed right out of a conservative‘s nightmare — gender-ambiguous, purple hair, facial piercings — tapped me on the shoulder.
—Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Noun
Peppermint shrieks, embracing character after character.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2026
Today, however, after decades of angry seatbelt alarms and parking sensor shrieks, a polite musical chime almost seems civilized.
—Peter Lyon, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for shriek
Cite this Entry
“Shriek.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shriek. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shriek
1 of 2 verb1
: to utter a sharp shrill cry
2
: to cry out in a high-pitched voice
shriek
2 of 2 noun
: a sharp shrill cry
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