shriek — a high-pitched piercing cry or sound
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: a high-pitched piercing cry or sound
Pronunciation (IPA): /ʃriːk/
Example Sentences
- The haunted house was so scary that visitors would shriek every five minutes.
- My mom's shriek when she found the electric bill could be heard three blocks away.
- The owl's shriek echoed through the dark forest.
shriek
NOUN[/ʃriːk/]
a high-pitched piercing cry or sound
She let out a piercing shriek when the mouse darted across the kitchen floor.
Shrimp shrieks 'EEK!' — sharp and shrieking!
From weak to peak, hear the victory shriek!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Middle English 'shreken' or 'shrichen', likely of Scandinavian origin, related to Old Norse 'skríkja' meaning to screech or cry out. The word entered English through contact with Norse-speaking peoples during the medieval period.
Breakdown
shriek (base word) - a single morpheme with no productive affixes; the root likely comes from Proto-Germanic *skrikan (to cry out), which cannot be further decomposed into meaningful English morphemes
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“The haunted house was so scary that visitors would shriek every five minutes.”
“My mom's shriek when she found the electric bill could be heard three blocks away.”
“The owl's shriek echoed through the dark forest.”
“She shrieked with delight when she won the lottery.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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