screech

American  

[skreech] / skritʃ /

verb (used without object)

1. to utter or make a harsh, shrill cry or sound.

   The child screeched hysterically. The brakes screeched.

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verb (used with object)

1. to utter with a screech.

   She screeched her warning.

noun

1. a harsh, shrill cry or sound.

   an owl's screech; the screech of brakes.

screech ¹ British  

/ skriːtʃ /

noun

1. a shrill, harsh, or high-pitched sound or cry

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verb

1. to utter with or produce a screech

screech ² British  

/ skriːtʃ /

noun

1. (esp in Newfoundland) a dark rum

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Related Words

See scream.

Other Word Forms

• screecher noun

Etymology

Origin of screech

First recorded in 1550–60; variant of obsolete scritch “to scream”; akin to screak

Example Sentences

In fact, any birder will tell you that the sky-rending screech that accompanies bald eagles in most media depictions actually belongs to a red-tailed hawk.

From Slate • Feb. 21, 2026

The summer’s unpleasant cicada infestation, meanwhile, is a stark reminder that his preferred droning screech comes from his dot-matrix printer, spitting out keyboard-symbol drawings he makes for customers who send him cash.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 16, 2026

Pareja then saw the housing market screech to a halt during the Great Recession, a crisis in which subprime mortgages were a central cause.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 12, 2025

Life doesn’t screech to a halt after a Pollyanna rom-com ending, just like love isn’t cast in amber, destined to be preserved forever.

From Salon • Jun. 14, 2025

The sword made a screech, like the sound of a bow being drawn shakily over the strings of a violin.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

• howl
• shout
• shriek
• squeal
• yell