as in to shriek
to cry out loudly and emotionally
the toddler screeched in anger when her stuffed rabbit was taken away
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of screech
Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Wong earlier shared wild video of the car takeover on social media showing multiple cars doing tire-screeching donuts near a ring of fire on the street, with a passenger in one car holding a large Palestinian flag out the window.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026
This not-quite-title song, which is nearly eight minutes long, is a sort of mini-suite, opening with a dog barking, giving way to an acoustic-guitar melody accompanying polyphonic vocals, then becoming electric and crashingly alive, until the relentless screech of a guitar drags you to the end.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for screech
Verb
Surveillance video from a nearby business captured drivers revving the engines and the sound of tires screeching, along with the ring of fire.
—Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
Wong earlier shared wild video of the car takeover on social media showing multiple cars doing tire-screeching donuts near a ring of fire on the street, with a passenger in one car holding a large Palestinian flag out the window.
—Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
Noun
Plumes of tear gas, bursts of chemical irritants and the screech of protest whistles have become common on the streets of Minneapolis, especially since Good’s shooting.
—Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026
This not-quite-title song, which is nearly eight minutes long, is a sort of mini-suite, opening with a dog barking, giving way to an acoustic-guitar melody accompanying polyphonic vocals, then becoming electric and crashingly alive, until the relentless screech of a guitar drags you to the end.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for screech
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screech
Verb
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Then a fleet of America’s Cup AC50 catamarans — 50-foot carbon-fiber flying behemoths — came shrieking past Calico Jack’s at speeds approaching 50 knots.—
Andrew Rice,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
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Nearby, children rode floaties atop the clear blue water, shrieking with delight as their parents lounged beneath umbrellas.—
Ada Calhoun,
Travel + Leisure,
7 May 2026
Noun
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The line had swelled into a throng, which broke into a collective squeal as stars Robert Pattinson and Zendaya stepped out of a van to greet the crowd.—
Julian Sancton,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
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Even in the midst of that sweltering Lagos day of thumping car music and raucous engines and the truck that honked at her for dancing too close, Miriam’s squeal stood out, a siren.—
‘Pemi Aguda,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
Verb
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One morning in 2013, before the sun had risen, Hiba and Ibrahim heard gunshots and screams.—
Annie Hylton,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
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Also, there was an element of danger, and doing a scene that is really arduous, achieving an emotional peak for an amount of time and performing physical acts and screaming [about] a matter of life and death.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
Noun
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He was missed — especially vocally — since Gill’s angelic voice does not, in any way shape or form, resemble Walsh’s charmingly out-of-pitch squawk-talk style.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Toy keyboard plinks and saxophone squawks spiral over a booming racket of drums in the ether, slyly threatening to collapse, like an elaborate plate-spinning act.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Clark and her teammates walked down the stairs and through the crowd to the court for player introductions with the loudest roar, naturally, reserved for Clark.—
Michael Marot,
Chicago Tribune,
10 May 2026
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Resident colobus monkeys’ distinctly guttural roars serve as singular natural alarms at daybreak, when an inspired array of adventures await.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 May 2026
Noun
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The only sound coming from the Dodger Stadium visitors’ clubhouse Wednesday night was the squeak of a laundry cart.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Over time, pig squeak forms dense clumps without becoming invasive.—
Nadia Hassani,
The Spruce,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The pair began to exchange words early in the second half, cracking the type of crooked smiles that hardly concealed the competitiveness driving both players to chirp and ridicule and needle one another on both ends of the court.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Mar. 2026
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Stephanie says, between a bark and a chirp.—
Gerald Witt,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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On the floor, hundreds of people convulse to Blanco Teta’s ravenous yowls and monster-truck basslines off their July album La debacle de las divas.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
18 Feb. 2026
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Now fans can get a closer look at the man behind the pitch-perfect yowl, the pencil mustache and the flawless pompadour.—
Theater Critic,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Screech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screech. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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