shrieks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of shriek
as in screams
to cry out loudly and emotionally the children shrieked with excitement

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

shrieks

2 of 2

noun

plural of shriek
as in squeals

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 shrieks
Verb
Back in the car, Albert moans and groans while Billie shrieks in panic. — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrieks
  1. screams
  2. squeals
  3. yells
Verb
  • In footage shared on TikTok, the 50 First Dates star is seen asking Rapp about her then-upcoming album, Snow Angel, when an audience member suddenly screams Barrymore’s name.
    — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
  • The audience’s screams and applause for Knight and Keller lasted nearly 28 seconds.
    — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 16 July 2026
Definition of screams
Verb
  • Soto’s Marie pouts and squeals with abandon.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
  • At bars across the United States, live watch parties were packed, squeals resounding.
    — Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026
Definition of squeals
Verb
  • Rays pitching coach Kyle Snyder yells a lot of things from the dugout during a game, usually aimed at his own players.
    — Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 June 2026
  • Sirianni yells to the man, who continues toward the building without a reaction.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Definition of yells

Browse Nearby Words

shrieking
shrieks
shrill
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Shrieks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrieks. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on shrieks

Nglish: Translation of shrieks for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All