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
Wyles Daniel, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
In the space between when House of Knives filmed and aired, Chung’s busy schedule screeched to a halt.
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 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
The sound of screeching truck brakes comes from behind, followed by a massive commotion.
—Wyles Daniel, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
In the space between when House of Knives filmed and aired, Chung’s busy schedule screeched to a halt.
—Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 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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The finale is an ambiguous mix of jollity and agitation, with a piccolo shrieking above a militant march.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
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The alternative would be to shriek at them for their hypocrisy.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Once inside, however, the miscreant sister communicates (via walkie-talkie) in a squeal of wordless agony.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
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Mary Lattimore’s harp spangles the background, while Camille Getz drags her violin across the track, a clever acoustic rendering of a classic shoegaze guitar squeal.—
Sadie Sartini Garner,
Pitchfork,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Despite the high tech projections and precise lighting and sound effects and the whole thing about people turning into rhinoceri, this a wondrously theatrical production, based on real people talking and emoting and screaming and waving their arms about.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
18 Mar. 2026
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Slayr raps, sings, and screams across this thing, producing most of it himself with frequent contributions from the producer wa.—
Mano Sundaresan,
Pitchfork,
18 Mar. 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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The hunch was right, as the Gophers relished the roar of their fans at The Barn all the way through Amaya Battle's epic game-winner.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
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That didn’t stop the Chicago Blackhawks from giving Bears coach Ben Johnson a shoutout — one that was met with a deafening roar from the United Center.—
Kalen Lumpkins,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Contributor DaVonne Onassis Bacchus tested it for us and had only positives to share, from the delivery and setup to the sturdy, squeak-free silhouette.—
Erika Owen,
Architectural Digest,
13 Mar. 2026
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On his proper introduction, Nett seems keen to fashion himself in the mold of new-wave rage stars like Che and Osamason, burning his low-end to a crisp and putting on his best Keef squeak.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The natural world is a cacophony of squawks, screeches, coos, chirps, whinnies, grunts, growls, and more.—
Jackie Flynn Mogensen,
Scientific American,
19 Mar. 2026
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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
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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At the time, the two girls were seen as rivals, with Debbie’s theatrical voice vs. Tiffany’s countrified yowl.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Screech.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screech. Accessed 25 Mar. 2026.
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