Meanings
plural shrieks · alternative obsolete 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.
1697, Virgil, “The Seventh Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC1 more example
Sabor, the lioness, was a wise hunter. To one less wise the wild alarm of her fierce cry as she sprang would have seemed a foolish thing, for could she not more surely have fallen upon her victims had she but quietly leaped without that loud shriek?
1912 October, Edgar Rice Burroughs, “Tarzan of the Apes”, in The All-Story, New York, N.Y.: Frank A. Munsey Co., →OCLC; republished as chapter 5, in Tarzan of the Apes, New York, N.Y.: A[lbert] L[evi] Burt Company, June 1914, →OCLC - UKslangAn exclamation mark.
present singular third person shrieks · participle present shrieking · participle past shrieked · past shrieked · alternative obsolete shreek
- intransitiveTo 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.
It was the owl that shrieked.
c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]4 more examples
Feebly ſhe ſhriekt, but ſo feebly indeed / That Britomart heard not the ſhrilling ſound.
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto VII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 4, page 95At this she shriek'd aloud; the mournful train / Echoed her grief.
1700, [John] Dryden, “Palamon and Arcite: Or, The Knight’s Tale. In Three Books.”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC"[O]h, yes! the loon does shriek dreadfully - particularly when there's fine rain[.]"
1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 286In winter the place was deserted and, with cold damp wind from the sea shrieking in the telegraph wires, the general feeling could be one of desolation.
1954 March, W. A. Tuplin, “Recollections of the Wirral Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 169 - transitiveTo utter sharply and shrilly; to utter in or with a shriek or shrieks.
She shrieked his name to the dark woods.
1817, Thomas Moore, Lalla Rookh […] , London: Longman […]1 more example
The ghostly owl, shrieking his baleful note.
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 33
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna high-pitched noise resembling a human cry
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*skrīkijaną
- Middle Englishscrycke
- Englishshriek
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.
More words from Middle English, Proto-Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek κωκύω, ἰύζω
- κωκύω (kōkúō)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- ἰύζω (iúzō)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Arabic زَعَقَ, صَرَخَ
- زَعَقَ (zaʕaqa)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- صَرَخَ (ṣaraḵa)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Bulgarian писък, крясък
- писък (pisăk)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- крясък (krjasăk)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- пищя (pištja)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- крещя (kreštja)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Chinese Mandarin 尖叫聲 /尖叫声
- 尖叫聲 /尖叫声a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
Czech vřískot, jekot
- vřískota sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- jekota sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- ječenía sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- zaječenía sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- ječetto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- zaječetto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- vřískatto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- zavřískatto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- křičetto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- zakřičetto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- ječetto utter sharply and shrilly
- zaječetto utter sharply and shrilly
- křičetto utter sharply and shrilly
- zakřičetto utter sharply and shrilly
Danish skrig, skrige
- skriga sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- skrigeto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Dutch krijsen, krijsen
- krijsena sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- krijsento utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Esperanto ŝriko, kriaĉi
- ŝrikoa sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- kriaĉito utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Finnish kirkaisu, rääkäisy
- kirkaisua sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- rääkäisya sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- kirkaistato utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- rääkäistäto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
French hurlement, crier
- hurlementa sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- crierto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
German Kreischen, kreischen
- Kreischena sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- kreischento utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- kreischento utter sharply and shrilly
Greek οξεία κραυγή, σκούζω
- οξεία κραυγή (oxeía kravgí)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- σκούζω (skoúzo)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- κραυγάζω οξέως (kravgázo oxéos)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- στριγκλίζω (strigklízo)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- τσιρίζω (tsirízo)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Hebrew צווחה
- צווחה (tsvaḥa)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
Hungarian rikácsol, ordít
- rikácsola sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- ordíta sharp, shrill outcry or scream
Irish scréach, scread
- scréacha sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- screada sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- screadto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Japanese 悲鳴
- 悲鳴 (himei)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
Korean 비명
- 비명 (bimyeong)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
Latin quirītō, strīdō
- quirītōto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- strīdōto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Māori tioro, ngoengoe
- tioroa sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- ngoengoea sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- ngoea sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- tioroto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- ngoengoeto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- ngoeto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Persian جیغ, جیغ زدن
- جیغ (jiġ)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- جیغ زدن (jǐq zadan)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- جیغ زدن (jǐq zadan)to utter sharply and shrilly
Polish krzyk, krzyczeć
- krzyka sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- krzyczećto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- krzyknąćto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Portuguese guincho, guinchar
- guinchoa sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- guincharto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Romanian țipăt, strigăt
- țipăta sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- strigăta sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- urleta sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- țipato utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- strigato utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- urlato utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Russian пронзительный крик, визг
- пронзительный крикa sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- визг (vizg)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- визжа́ть (vizžátʹ)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Scottish Gaelic sgal, sgal
- sgala sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- sgalto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Spanish alarido, chillido
- alaridoa sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- chillidoa sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- chillarto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Ukrainian ве́реск, виск
- ве́реск (véresk)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- виск (vysk)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- вереща́ти (vereščáty)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
- вища́ти (vyščáty)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Urdu چیخ, چیخنا
- چیخ (cīx)a sharp, shrill outcry or scream
- چیخنا (cīxnā)to utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Vietnamese rít
- rítto utter a loud, sharp, shrill sound or cry
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with shriek
Anagrams
Cite this entry
shriek. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shriek
“shriek.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shriek. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shriek,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shriek.
Source: shriek on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.