screeching
Also found in: Thesaurus, Idioms, Encyclopedia.
screech
(skrēch)n.
1. A high-pitched, strident cry.
2. A sound suggestive of this cry: the screech of train brakes.
v. screeched, screech·ing, screech·es
v.tr.
To utter in a screech or high-pitched voice.
v.intr.
1. To cry out in a high-pitched, strident voice.
2. To make a sound suggestive of a screech: Tires screeched on the wet pavement.
[Alteration of obsolete scrich, from Middle English scrichen, to screech, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse skrækja.]
screech′er n.
screech′i·ness n.
screech′y adj.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
screeching
(ˈskriːtʃɪŋ)adj
1. producing a shrill, harsh, or high-pitched cry
2. producing a shrill, harsh, or high-pitched sound
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  screeching - a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry; "he ducked at the screechings of shells"; "he heard the scream of the brakes"noise - sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound); "he enjoyed the street noises"; "they heard indistinct noises of people talking"; "during the firework display that ended the gala the noise reached 98 decibels" |
| 2. |  screeching - sharp piercing cry; "her screaming attracted the neighbors" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations