shriek

/ʃrik/

/ʃrik/

Other forms: shrieked; shrieks; shrieking

A high-pitched, piercing cry is a shriek. A common response to finding a snake curled in the silverware drawer would be to shriek.

You can shriek in fear, surprise, or even shriek with laughter. If the sound you make is high, sharp, and loud, it's a shriek. A teenager who sees her favorite movie star might shriek, "Look who it is!" And, little kids in an inflatable bouncy house will very likely shriek with delight. The word shriek sounds very much like what it means, and its Old Norse root skrækja, "to screech," may have originated for that very reason.

Definitions of shriek

1. noun

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

   type of:

   noise

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

   utter a shrill cry
   synonyms: pipe, pipe up, shrill

   types:

   caterwaul, yowl

   utter shrieks, as of cats

   type of:

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

   utter a sudden loud cry