shrieked; shrieking; shrieks
1
: to utter a sharp shrill sound
2
a
: to cry out in a high-pitched voice : screech
b
: to suggest such a cry (as by vividness of expression)
… neon colors shrieked for attention.—
Calvin Tomkins
Calvin Tomkins1
: to utter with a shriek
shriek an alarm
2
: to express in a manner suggestive of a shriek
1
: a shrill usually wild or involuntary cry
2
: a sound resembling a shriek
the shriek of chalk on the blackboard
Examples of shriek in a Sentence
Verb
The birds were shrieking in the trees.
She shrieked when she saw a mouse.
Noun
the shriek of the train's brakes
Recent Examples on the Web
Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
While peacocks have roamed the streets of Los Angeles County for more than a century, officials in 2021 moved to ban people from feeding them after reports of the birds shrieking in the night and damaging property.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
But though Marcloid has continued to refine her extravagant, gonzo, and lurid sound—the blast beats and guttural shrieks slot into the Tupperware synths and call-waiting arpeggios with more supple flexibility than ever before—Lavender Networks is still far from commercial.
—Reed Jackson, SPIN, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shriek
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Verb
But in the early days of the Maniacs, everyone swears that Merchant was a shrieking dervish during shows, exorcising her teenage demons on the stage of every bar in the Rust Belt.
—Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026
While peacocks have roamed the streets of Los Angeles County for more than a century, officials in 2021 moved to ban people from feeding them after reports of the birds shrieking in the night and damaging property.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 14 May 2026
Noun
Harris spares audiences the bloody image, but the sound of the boy’s imploring shrieks is nevertheless haunting.
—Lovia Gyarkye, IndieWire, 16 May 2026
But though Marcloid has continued to refine her extravagant, gonzo, and lurid sound—the blast beats and guttural shrieks slot into the Tupperware synths and call-waiting arpeggios with more supple flexibility than ever before—Lavender Networks is still far from commercial.
—Reed Jackson, SPIN, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shriek
Cite this Entry
“Shriek.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shriek. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shriek
1 of 2 verb1
: to utter a sharp shrill cry
2
: to cry out in a high-pitched voice
shriek
2 of 2 noun
: a sharp shrill cry
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