shriek

Study(5)

/ʃɹiːk/

noun 2verb 2

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

loud

little

When the spider appeared, the child let out a little shriek and jumped back.

high-pitched, piercing

VERB + SHRIEK

give, let out | hear

PREP

with a ~

The child ran into the room with a shriek when she saw the surprise party.

~ of

The children let out shrieks of joy when they saw the surprise birthday cake.

PHRASES

a shriek of delight/pain, a shriek of laughter

(verb.)

ADV

aloud

all but, almost

She almost shrieked with excitement when she opened the surprise birthday gift.

VERB + SHRIEK

hear sb

PREP

The audience shrieked at the sudden appearance of the ghost on stage.

The audience members shrieked in horror when the lights suddenly went out during the performance.

with

The children shrieked with delight when they saw the fireworks explode in the night sky.

Definitions

noun

A sharp, shrill outcry or scream; a shrill wild cry caused by sudden or extreme terror, pain, or the like.

Shrieks, clamours, murmurs, fill the frighted town.

Sabor, the lioness, was a wise hunter. To one less wise the wild alarm of her fierce cry as she sprang would have seemed a foolish thing, for could she not more surely have fallen upon her victims had she but quietly leaped without that loud shriek?

An exclamation mark.

verb

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.

Feebly ſhe ſhriekt, but ſo feebly indeed / That Britomart heard not the ſhrilling ſound.

It was the owl that shrieked.

To utter sharply and shrilly; to utter in or with a shriek or shrieks.

The ghostly owl, shrieking his baleful note.

She shrieked his name to the dark woods.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — sharp piercing cry

scream
screaming
shrieking
screech
screeching

noun — a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry

screech
screeching
shrieking
scream
screaming

verb — utter a shrill cry

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

Example Bank

Shrieks, clamours, murmurs, fill the frighted town.

Wiktionary

Feebly ſhe ſhriekt, but ſo feebly indeed / That Britomart heard not the ſhrilling ſound.

Wiktionary

It was the owl that shrieked.

Wiktionary

At this she shriek'd aloud; the mournful train / Echoed her grief.

Wiktionary

When I lifted a potted plant in my garden, there were swarms of little insects crawling underneath, and I instinctively let out a shriek.

Tatoeba · #1528233

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, shriek is marked as slang, UK. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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