as in to scream
to cry out loudly and emotionally
the children shrieked with excitement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shriek
Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 15 Aug. 2025
The unfiltered electric soundtrack of the Evija goes from a piercing whine to an ear-splitting shriek.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2025
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
In one scene, a wrestling match/foreplay ends with Ray lifting a shrieking Colin into the air with his feet.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shriek
Verb
Each shimmy of his hips drew shrieks from female fans.
—Brian McCollum, Freep.com, 15 Aug. 2025
The unfiltered electric soundtrack of the Evija goes from a piercing whine to an ear-splitting shriek.
—Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2025
Noun
Guadagnino encourages our doubts, shooting Maggie in exaggerated horror-movie closeups set to the doomy bass notes and shrieking winds of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Oct. 2025
In one scene, a wrestling match/foreplay ends with Ray lifting a shrieking Colin into the air with his feet.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shriek
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shriek
Verb
-
In the end, McGovern included clips from early morning airport chaos, rain on the Hawaiian beaches, the aftermath of a bloody lip and plenty of screaming and crying.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Momentum indicators aren't screaming buy at current levels.—
Jay Woods,
CNBC,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
That frenetic screech of packing tape echoing in your emptying home may send your blood pressure soaring.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
-
So rang the delighted screech of a young Manchester United fan outside the Progress with Unity Stadium, an hour before United’s Women’s Champions League debut against Valarenga on Wednesday night.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Beyond the housing units that concealed this bloody event, a truck rumbled along the road, a basketball bounced, children squealed, the sounds foreign, from another world.—
Lizz Schumer,
PEOPLE,
29 Oct. 2025
-
One of the first major highlights showed the moment Mei Xiang birthed a squealing Xiao Qi Ji and cradled her newborn cub.—
Sudiksha Kochi,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Ochi speak, not with words, but sounds—melodic shrills that reverberate in the air and can be interpreted on an emotional level.—
DeVonne Goode,
Parents,
18 Apr. 2025
-
What's more, this door alarm features three sensitivity levels and emits a loud shrill that will instantly scare an intruder away.—
Stephanie Gray,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Tyler Bilodeau, Eric Dailey and Skyy Clark are the three returning starters for Mick Cronin, a decidedly old-school coach who still yells at high volume and suits up for tipoffs.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
There was yelling, people falling, and some who appeared to get hurt in the scuffle, Lee said.—
Nicquel Terry Ellis,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Her bottom lip dropped and a tiny squeak emerged.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
-
This isn’t like missing a 2-foot putt, or getting posterized, or letting a groundball squeak through your legs or blowing a tire on the ice.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Doing this yelp as a human may work when training certain dogs, but the AKC advises that with some puppies, this could actually get the puppy more worked up and likely to bite.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
-
The complacent faces of phony mediums swirl in my head, along with unsettling spirit photographs and images of puppies that had died with a sudden yelp for no apparent reason.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shriek.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shriek. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share