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DictionaryshriekPiercing cry
noun / verb

shriek

SHREEK/ʃriːk/

A high, piercing cry or the act of making one.

The woman shrieks as a mouse scurries past her shoe.

A startled woman lets out a piercing cry as a small mouse scurries past her shoe, her open mouth, raised shoulders and lifted hands making the vocal reaction clear.
Etymology
shriekOld Norseto screech

Old Norse skrækja meant “to screech” and was probably imitative of a piercing cry. The English verb keeps that sound-centered meaning, whether the cry expresses pain, fear, grief, or laughter.

In context

Appendix N16:26
when she heard her brother shriek. It wasn't much of a shriek, just a thin little cry that came out muffled.
"Little Men of Space" by Frank Belknap Long

More examples

  • A sudden shriek from the kitchen brings everyone running.
  • She shrieked when a spider landed on her arm.
  • His shrieks of laughter echo down the hall.

Forms

shriek · shrieks · shrieked · shrieking

Similar words

scream
A loud cry that need not be high-pitched.
screech
A harsh, high sound, often from animals or machinery.
squeal
A high-pitched cry, often thinner and less piercing.