screech

/skritʃ/

/skritʃ/

Other forms: screeching; screeched; screeches

To screech is to make a piercing, high-pitched sound. It can also be the sound itself. Want to hear a screech? Take a little kid’s lollipop away.

A screech is another word for a scream, shriek, or cry. It’s not fun to listen to. If a woman in a horror movie finds a bad guy in her closet, she’ll probably screech. If you surprise someone in the middle of the night, expect a screech. Things can also screech, like when a car screeches to a sudden stop at a red light.

Definitions of screech

1. noun

   sharp piercing cry
   synonyms: scream, screaming, screeching, shriek, shrieking

   type of:

   call, cry, outcry, shout, vociferation, yell

   a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
2. noun

   a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry
   synonyms: scream, screaming, screeching, shriek, shrieking

   type of:

   noise

   sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
3. verb

   make a high-pitched, screeching noise
   synonyms: creak, screak, skreak, squeak, whine

   type of:

   make noise, noise, resound

   emit a noise
4. verb

   utter a harsh abrupt scream
   synonyms: screak, skreak, skreigh, squawk

   type of:

   call, cry, holler, hollo, scream, shout, shout out, squall, yell

   utter a sudden loud cry