Noun With a loud screech, she smashed the plate against the wall. Verb I screeched when I saw the mouse. He kept screeching at the children to pay attention. “You can't do this to me!” she screeched.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
On a recent day patrol in the Small Mammal House, there’s a loud screech. James V. Grimaldi, WSJ, 11 Aug. 2022 Sunlight pours through the North American pines, while green parrots fly and screech overhead.The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Aug. 2022 As Flores spoke, the iron bars made a metallic screech as a woman pushed a baby stroller through the opening.Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2022 Listen to birds caw, chirp and screech as squirrels forage. Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, 3 Dec. 2021 Gulls screech and contractors’ drills ready antique cottages for the season. Jura Koncius, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 This program will include a trio of screech owls, a barn owl and a peregrine falcon.Hartford Courant, 10 June 2022 The scores of tree trunks can conceal a stalking tyrannosaur all too easily, with perhaps only the snap of a branch or the screech of an alarmed bird to provide any warning. Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Apr. 2022 With her characteristic screech that raised her scenes to an operatic pitch, Harris became known for her sarcastic remarks and exasperated tirades at the expense of her son, George, and husband, Frank. Maureen Lee Lenker, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Apr. 2022
Verb
More often, Saints Row's collision systems will get vehicles stuck on small objects in the world, from fences to bicycle racks to installed concrete chunks, in ways that screech the game's movement and fun to a halt. Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 22 Aug. 2022 Some nights, cars would screech by the Gimlins’ house. Leah Sottile, Outside Online, 5 July 2016 And the jingle would screech and echo throughout Jack Murphy Stadium: San Diego Super Chargers! Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2022 Little did Franti, or anyone else, know that the world and all its plans would screech to a sudden halt for far more than 30 days. Tricia Despres, PEOPLE.com, 29 July 2022 Those who don't screech to a halt in time are immediately gunned down. Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 30 Dec. 2021 Approaching a crossroads that could take your business in a very different direction can be overwhelming, and the fear of making the wrong choice can screech your momentum to a halt. Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2021 If users are discouraged from using the network because of high fees, DeFi protocols would suffer and adoption could screech to a halt. Leeor Shimron, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021 The iceberg could screech to a halt on the shallow underwater shelf that surrounds the island and not collide with dry land. Sarah Gibbens, Environment, 28 Dec. 2020 See More
Word History
Etymology
Verb
alteration of earlier scritch, from Middle English scrichen; akin to Old Norse skrækja to screech