as in shrill
having a high musical pitch or range
shrieking horns of impatient drivers stuck in a traffic jam
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in screaming
to cry out loudly and emotionally
the children shrieked with excitement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shrieking
Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
The finale is an ambiguous mix of jollity and agitation, with a piccolo shrieking above a militant march.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
When his kids melted down and started shrieking over the usual tantrum-inducing nonsense that sometimes sets off 4-year-olds, Buttigieg looked around nervously, gathered his family, and left the shop fast.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
His shrieking reactions to his wife’s savagery throw into relief his good nature and her perversity.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
The shrieking young women are hilarious, as are their hairdos.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
This seems to me as offensive to rationality as a saint shrieking into the air.
—Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile below, Frank chases Havlock through the dam’s tunnels on a snowmobile, the machine shrieking against concrete.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
His nine children sat at the foot of the stage shrieking their approval whenever his speech crescendoed.
—John Bartlett, NPR, 17 Nov. 2025
Verb
Less than 10 minutes later, that same fan is running down the street with others, shrieking and holding up their photos and signed papers in triumph.
—Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
The finale is an ambiguous mix of jollity and agitation, with a piccolo shrieking above a militant march.
—Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026
When his kids melted down and started shrieking over the usual tantrum-inducing nonsense that sometimes sets off 4-year-olds, Buttigieg looked around nervously, gathered his family, and left the shop fast.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
His shrieking reactions to his wife’s savagery throw into relief his good nature and her perversity.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026
The shrieking young women are hilarious, as are their hairdos.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 16 Feb. 2026
This seems to me as offensive to rationality as a saint shrieking into the air.
—Christian Wiman, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
Meanwhile below, Frank chases Havlock through the dam’s tunnels on a snowmobile, the machine shrieking against concrete.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 5 Dec. 2025
His nine children sat at the foot of the stage shrieking their approval whenever his speech crescendoed.
—John Bartlett, NPR, 17 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrieking
Adjective
-
On shrill winter nights, Moscow’s power is conspicuous, its Orthodox cathedrals and Stalinist high-rises illuminated, though the view falls dim in the autumn and spring, shrouded in sheets of greige.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The chaos is still an acceptable price to pay for Birney’s expertly offputting performance, a shrill mania that gets increasingly comic over time.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Richter’s grand slam Tuesday against Tinley Park ended with plenty of screaming and high-fives at home plate.—
Tony Baranek,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Any passengers not knocked out during the chaos or sucked out into the sky are generally screaming and grabbing for oxygen masks while Captain Rich makes a futile announcement about the importance of not panicking.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The adults settle into seats facing each other while children from different families run behind them, squealing, playing, crying.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Visceral sounds of gyaaaaaaa (ギャアアアアア) convey squealing tires, while turbo blow-off valves let out a sweet doa (ドア).—
Caleb Jacobs,
The Drive,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The confrontation, which involved Jokic pushing McDaniels and yelling at Julius Randle, led to an ejection.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Heard some screams, plates, glasses, silverware hitting the ground, and then everybody was yelling, get down.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shrieking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrieking. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
