Shriek — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

sharp piercing cry

a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/ʃɹˈiːk/

🇬🇧British English

/ʃɹˈiːk/

🇮🇳Indian English

/ʃɹˈiːk/

1 syllable Say it as /ʃɹˈiːk/.

Examples

her screaming attracted the neighbors
he ducked at the screechings of shells
he heard the scream of the brakes

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

scream shrieking screech shrill pipe up pipe screaming screeching

Parts of Speech

noun	sharp piercing cry “her screaming attracted the neighbors”
noun	a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry “he ducked at the screechings of shells”
verb	utter a shrill cry

Word Forms

scream	verb	utter a sudden loud cry
shriek	verb	utter a shrill cry
screechy	adjective	having or making a high-pitched sound such as that made by a mouse or a rusty hinge
screech	verb	utter a harsh abrupt scream
shriek	noun	a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry
shrieking	noun	sharp piercing cry
shrilling	noun	a continuing shrill noise; --P. J. Searles

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Schrei

scharfer, durchdringender Schrei

🇫🇷French

cri

cri aigu et perçant

🇪🇸Spanish

grito

grito agudo y desgarrador

🇮🇹Italian

strillare

grido acuto e penetrante

🇳🇱Dutch

schreeuwen

scherpe, doordringende kreet

🇵🇹Portuguese

gritar

grito agudo e penetrante

🇷🇺Russian

визжать

резкий пронзительный крик

India

🇮🇳Hindi

कटकट

तीक्ष्ण भेदी चीख

🇧🇩Bengali

চিৎকার

তীক্ষ্ণ ভেদন কান্না

🇮🇳Tamil

அலறல்

கூர்மையான துளையிடும் அழுகை

🇮🇳Telugu

అరుపు

పదునైన కుట్లు కేకలు

🇮🇳Marathi

ओरडणे

तीक्ष्ण छेदन रडणे

🇮🇳Gujarati

ચીસો

તીક્ષ્ણ વેધન રુદન

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕೂಗು

ಚೂಪಾದ ಚುಚ್ಚುವ ಕೂಗು

🇮🇳Malayalam

നിലവിളിക്കുക

മൂർച്ചയുള്ള തുളച്ചുകയറുന്ന നിലവിളി

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਚੀਕਣਾ

ਤਿੱਖੀ ਵਿੰਨ੍ਹਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਚੀਕ

🇵🇰Urdu

چیخ

تیز چھیدنے والا رونا

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

尖叫

尖锐刺耳的哭声

🇯🇵Japanese

悲鳴

鋭い鋭い叫び声

🇰🇷Korean

비명

날카로운 날카로운 외침

🇻🇳Vietnamese

thét lên

tiếng kêu chói tai

🇹🇭Thai

กรี๊ด

ร้องไห้แหลมคม

🇮🇩Indonesian

menjerit

tangisan tajam yang menusuk

🇵🇭Filipino

sigaw

matalim na piercing na sigaw

🇲🇾Malay

menjerit

jeritan tajam yang menusuk

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

صرخة

صرخة خارقة حادة

🇮🇷Persian

فریاد زدن

گریه نافذ تیز

🇹🇷Turkish

çığlık

keskin delici çığlık

🇮🇱Hebrew

לִצְרוֹחַ

בכי נוקב חד

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'shriek'?

The primary meaning of 'shriek' is 'sharp piercing cry'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'shriek' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'shriek' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'shriek' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'shriek' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'shriek' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

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Never

Do you find 'shriek' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'shriek' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

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Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'shriek' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'shriek' in a professional email?

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Would you classify 'shriek' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

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