1
: a high shrill piercing cry usually expressing pain or terror
2
: a sound resembling a screech
screeched; screeching; screeches
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
: 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
Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The only noise is the dip-dip of oars and the ethereal screech of horseshoe bats.
—Tristan Rutherford, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 2026
By Jason Mackey Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PALM BEACH GARDENS — The pop of a catcher’s mitt mixed with saws screeching and hammers pounding provides an appropriate soundtrack inside Paul Skenes’ offseason workout facility, a baseball-lover’s paradise and an encapsulation of his unique personality.
—Tribune News Service, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screech
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Noun
This causes a blast of high-energy radiation called a gamma-ray burst (GRB), a final screech of gravitational waves, and sends out a spray of neutron-rich matter, which allows a process to occur that generates very heavy but unstable elements.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The only noise is the dip-dip of oars and the ethereal screech of horseshoe bats.
—Tristan Rutherford, Robb Report, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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
By Jason Mackey Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PALM BEACH GARDENS — The pop of a catcher’s mitt mixed with saws screeching and hammers pounding provides an appropriate soundtrack inside Paul Skenes’ offseason workout facility, a baseball-lover’s paradise and an encapsulation of his unique personality.
—Tribune News Service, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for screech
Cite this Entry
“Screech.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screech. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
screech
1 of 2 noun1
: a shrill harsh cry usually expressing pain or terror
2
: a sound like a screech
the screech of brakes
screech
2 of 2 verb1
: to cry out usually in terror or pain
2
: to make a sound like a screech
the car screeched to a halt
screecher
noun
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