Shriek
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ʃɹiːk/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Shriek is a noun meaning A sharp, shrill outcry or scream; a shrill wild cry caused by sudden or extreme terror, pain, or the like.
Meaning
A sharp, shrill outcry or scream; a shrill wild cry caused by sudden or extreme terror, pain, or the like.
More Meanings
- (UK, slang) An exclamation mark.
- (transitive) To utter sharply and shrilly; to utter in or with a shriek or shrieks.
- (intransitive) To utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry, as do some birds and beasts; to scream, as in a sudden fright, in horror or anguish.
Example Sentences
It was the owl that shrieked.
The ghostly owl, shrieking his baleful note.
Shrieks, clamours, murmurs, fill the frighted town.
At this she shriek'd aloud; the mournful train / Echoed her grief.
Word Forms
- shrieks
- shreek
- shrieking
- shrieked
Synonyms for shriek
Depending on context, synonyms include shrill, scream, screech, screeching, pipe, screaming.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include screech, screeching, screaming, shrill, scream, pipe.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.