Shriek
[ʃriːk] or [ʃrik]
Definition
(v. i.) To 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.
(v. t.) To utter sharply and shrilly; to utter in or with a shriek or shrieks.
(n.) A sharp, shrill outcry or scream; a shrill wild cry such as is caused by sudden or extreme terror, pain, or the like.
Checker: Thelma
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. n. Scream, screech, yell.
n. Scream, screech, yell, shrill cry.
Checker: Yale
Definition
v.i. to utter a shriek: to scream.—v.t. to utter shriekingly.—n. the shrill outcry caused by terror or anguish—(Spens.) Schriech Shright Shrike.—ns. Shriek′er; Shriek′-owl (same as Screech-owl).
Typed by Julie
Examples
- Think you, Tars Tarkas, that John Carter will fly at the first shriek of a cowardly foe who dare not come out into the open and face a good blade? Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- As my sword went up to end her horrid career her paralysis left her, and with an ear-piercing shriek she turned to flee. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- You heard the report and then the shriek commenced almost instantly. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- A universal shriek arose as the russet boots waved wildly from the wreck and a golden head emerged, exclaiming, I told you so! Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- The shriek at the name, the reiterated look of hatred and fear that instantly followed, told all. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- A wild shriek came pealing down the stairway. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- The engines and dynamos made a horrible racket, from loud and deep groans to a hideous shriek, and the place seemed to be filled with sparks and flames of all colors. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- One of the best of these I entered; but I had hardly placed my foot within the door, before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted. Mary Shelley. Frankenstein_Or_The Modern Prometheus.
- Women and children shrieked, and men encouraged each other with noisy shouts and cheers. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- The slave girls upon the dais shrieked and cowered away. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- Miss Havisham quite shrieked, as she stretched out her arms. Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- He struggled, and shrieked for water--for but one drop of water to save his life! Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- Strap him to that pillar, he shrieked. Edgar Rice Burroughs. A Princess of Mars.
- Men groaned, and clasped their hands; women shrieked, and turned away their faces. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- That was a lucky stroke of hers about the child torn from her arms shrieking. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Struggling and shrieking, his body, rolling from side to side, moved quickly toward the shadows beneath the trees. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
- Hardly had the boat left the ship, when, caught by a huge wave, she capsized, and the waves were black with shrieking masses of humanity. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- Death on the cards, love in the stars, and the muttered prophecies of crouching hags, terrified at the omen of flying bat, of shrieking night-bird. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- Then comes Tana, shrieking and holding tight her side from which blood is streaming. Edgar Rice Burroughs. Tarzan of the Apes.
- And breaking from the shrieking landlady, and from Mr. Pickwick, the indignant husband seized a small supper-knife, and tore into the street. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- So blackened by the flying particles of rubbish as to be unrecognisable, they ran back from the gateway into the street, crying and shrieking. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- She never abated the piercing quality of her shrieks, never stumbled in the distinctness or the order of her words. Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
- There had been shrieks from among the women convicts; but they had been stilled, and a hush had succeeded. Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- The dress of this person was that of a soldier, but the bared neck and arms, and the continued shrieks discovered a female thus disguised. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- Since they try to frighten wild animals or their enemies by shrieks, beating of gongs, brandishing of weapons, etc. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- The shrieks and the cries were audible there, though subdued by the distance. Charles Dickens. A Tale of Two Cities.
- Think you, amidst the shrieks of violated innocence and helpless infancy, I did not feel in every nerve the cry of a fellow being? Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- The dying shrieks and groans of the murdered will often sound in your ears. Benjamin Franklin. Memoirs of Benjamin Franklin.
Checker: Roderick