screed

noun

ˈskrēd 

1

a

: a lengthy discourse

b

: an informal piece of writing (such as a personal letter)

c

: a ranting piece of writing

2

: a strip (as of a plaster of the thickness planned for the coat) laid on as a guide

3

: a leveling device drawn over freshly poured concrete

Examples of screed in a Sentence

In her screed against the recording industry, she blamed her producer for ruining her career.

Recent Examples on the Web

While not exactly a feminist screed, the script grants nary a free pass to the glut of hackneyed gender conventions in the golden-age canon without at least cracking a joke. —Naveen Kumar, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026

Many of his screeds have garnered millions of views, more than some of his 10 songs have streamed on Spotify. —Blair R. Fischer, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026

The power of his work resides not in ideological argument or moral screed but in the observation of characters struggling to maintain their humanity in an inhuman system. —Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026

Trump has been more active than ever on social media in his second term, including posting lengthy all-caps screeds offering vacillating updates on the war. —Alexander Smith, NBC news, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English screde fragment, alteration of Old English scrēade — more at shred entry 1

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for screed

• bead
• bleed
• brede
• breed
• cede
• creed
• deed
• feed
• freed
• greed
• heed
• keyed