screech

1 of 2

noun

1
: a high shrill piercing cry usually expressing pain or terror
2
: a sound resembling a screech

screech

2 of 2

verb

screeched; screeching; screeches

intransitive verb

1
: to utter a high shrill piercing cry : make an outcry usually in terror or pain
2
: to make a shrill high-pitched sound resembling a screech
also : to move with such a sound
the car screeched to a stop

transitive verb

: to utter with or as if with a screech
screecher noun

Examples of screech in a Sentence

Noun With a loud screech, she smashed the plate against the wall. Verb I screeched when I saw the mouse. He kept screeching at the children to pay attention. “You can't do this to me!” she screeched.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
During a walk through the Huntington Botanical Gardens with her mother one morning, Brenda Ramirez was alarmed by the sudden squawks, warbles, and screeches of troops of parrots flying overhead at great speed in tight, precise formations. Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 The explosive screech of violin strings is, however, underscored by one unexpected trill: a notification popping up on my phone. Hasina Jeelani, Vogue, 27 Feb. 2024 At dawn one morning, we were awakened by the screech of a patrol wagon pulling up next to us. Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 The rest was drowned out by the sound of a shaking grandstand and the jet airplane screech of 58,000 people. Bill Dwyre, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2023 For 31 days, a witch cackles and screeches when anything triggers the doormat. Liz Vaccariello, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Oct. 2023 Silver fish leap above the surface, twisting like gymnasts, and a pet peacock screeches from the shore. Kiley Bense, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 Later on that evening, there was a loud screech followed by the explosion. Anna Gordon, TIME, 20 Oct. 2023 The strike saw production on film and television shows screech to a halt and the 2023 Emmys moved to January 2024. Max Zahn, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2023
Verb
When the truck turns out of the parking lot, the driver again goes the wrong way, this time down Foch Street toward West 7th Street, tires screeching as the driver hits the gas. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Jan. 2024 He's been pecked at and screeched to by rivals, even becoming a subject for late-night TV talk shows. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 29 Jan. 2024 Wells Fargo last week became the latest big bank to predict that the economy will achieve a soft landing, gently slowing rather than screeching to a halt. Ben Casselman, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2024 Gone is his poor, screeching co-host, Mad Dog; gone even are the callers, Don from Long Island and Vinny from Staten Island. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2024 Advertisement As the scene plays out, Hackman’s Doyle is seen speeding through the streets, pounding on his horn, bouncing off fenders, barreling through trash cans, almost spinning out of control to a symphony of screeching tires, and nearly striking a pedestrian wheeling a baby carriage. Adam Bernstein, Washington Post, 7 Aug. 2023 Parking yourself in a chair for hours on end is also thought to bring your bowels to a screeching halt. Julia Ries, SELF, 11 Jan. 2024 Governments were restricting movement, businesses were closing, and the way of living that many were used to was screeching to a halt. Athena Aktipis, Scientific American, 1 Nov. 2023 Then in March, the 34-year-old star was accused of domestic violence — bringing his Hollywood and commercial opportunities to a screeching halt. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 18 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'screech.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of earlier scritch, from Middle English scrichen; akin to Old Norse skrækja to screech

First Known Use

Noun

1560, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1577, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of screech was in 1560

Dictionary Entries Near screech

Cite this Entry

“Screech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screech. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

screech

1 of 2 noun
1
: a shrill harsh cry usually expressing pain or terror
2
: a sound like a screech
the screech of brakes

screech

2 of 2 verb
1
: to cry out usually in terror or pain
2
: to make a sound like a screech
the car screeched to a halt
screecher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on screech

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