shriek
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shriek
- /ʃɹiːk/
Rhymes with -iːk
Where it comes from
From obsolete shrick (1567), shreke, variants of earlier screak, skricke (before 1500), from Middle English scrycke, from a North Germanic/Scandinavian language (compare Swedish skrika, Danish skrige, Icelandic skríkja), from Proto-Germanic *skrīkijaną, *skrik- (compare English screech). More at screech.
noun shrieks · shreek
- 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.
- An exclamation mark.
verb shrieks · shrieking · shrieked · shreek
- 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.
- To utter sharply and shrilly; to utter in or with a shriek or shrieks. The ghostly owl, shrieking his baleful note.
Similar: shrill
Thesaurus
verb
Similar: shrill
Translations
Every language
noun a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
| Español | alarido, chillido |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 비명 bimyeong |
| 日本語 | 悲鳴 himei |
| 中文 | 尖叫聲 /尖叫声 |
| Português | guincho |
| Français | hurlement |
| Deutsch | Kreischen |
| Ελληνικά | οξεία κραυγή oxeía kravgí |
| Română | țipăt, strigăt, urlet |
| Русский | пронзительный крик, визг vizg |
| العربية | زَعَقَ zaʕaqa |
| עברית | צווחה tsvaḥa |
verb to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
| Español | chillar |
|---|---|
| Português | guinchar |
| Français | crier |
| Deutsch | kreischen |
| Ελληνικά | σκούζω skoúzo, κραυγάζω οξέως kravgázo oxéos, στριγκλίζω strigklízo, τσιρίζω tsirízo |
| Română | țipa, striga, urla |
| Русский | визжа́ть vizžátʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | rít |
| العربية | صَرَخَ ṣaraḵa |
verb to utter sharply and shrilly
| Deutsch | kreischen |
|---|
Talk about this word "shriek." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/shriek. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. shriek. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/shriek "shriek." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/shriek.Cite this
@misc{shriek_2026,
title = {shriek},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/shriek},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
