screeched

verb

past tense of screech
as in shrieked
to cry out loudly and emotionally the toddler screeched in anger when her stuffed rabbit was taken away

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of screeched Upon arrival, Gideon slowly grows more suspicious of the theories as to why their 30-year friendship screeched to such an abrupt halt, but also of the reports of Gillian’s fatal accident. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026 As a bald eagle named Indy occasionally screeched at an offending hawk that flew overheard, speakers talked about the time capsule as a message to future generations about Americans’ hopes, values and lives in 2025. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026 Hiring has screeched to a halt as companies slash thousands of staffers in the name of AI—and tech-savvy talent will have the best shot at career success. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 1 July 2026 Inside, as the step and repeat cleared out and the cast entered, both the packed orchestra and two balconies screeched whenever a member of the cast entered. — Alex Zalben, IndieWire, 3 June 2026 But by midday, House action again screeched to a halt. — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026 Case in point was the sketch that brought Storrie and Williams back together, as the studio audience screeched. — Kase Wickman, Vanity Fair, 1 Mar. 2026 In the space between when House of Knives filmed and aired, Chung’s busy schedule screeched to a halt. — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas Morning News, 4 Feb. 2026 Nino-Moncada, the driver, sped for more than two miles and screeched into an apartment-complex lot, blaring the truck horn wildly, with a bullet wound on his arm. — James Ross Gardner, New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for screeched
  1. shrieked
  2. screamed
  3. squealed
  4. yelled
Verb
  • Fans shrieked and hollered as every player in the realmwide war — Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), Prince Daemon (Matt Smith), the Sea Snake (Steve Toussaint) and his nemesis Lohar (Abigail Thorn) — popped up.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 22 June 2026
  • As the noise-rap-electro act Jane Remover shrieked and pleaded through a 90-minute marathon set at the Fonda on Thursday night, one very young couple dressed right out of a conservative‘s nightmare — gender-ambiguous, purple hair, facial piercings — tapped me on the shoulder.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Definition of shrieked
Verb
  • Williams screamed and threw the woman, who then ran into the garage.
    — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Montes grabbed and threw two $10,000 candle holders to the ground, breaking them, and screamed at the congregation, according to prosecutors.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of screamed
Verb
  • Toddlers squealed and played, and an older woman cried softly.
    — Will Freeman, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
  • Some people squealed when Anna Wintour came out without sunglasses.
    — Peter White, Deadline, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of squealed
Verb
  • When the boy and his grandmother got into difficulty in the water, his siblings, ages 4 and 6, yelled to attract the attention of bystanders.
    — Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Defiant, Mladic acted bullishly during his trial and yelled at the judges when sentenced to life in prison.
    — Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of yelled

Browse Nearby Words

screech
screeched
screeches
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Screeched.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/screeched. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All