[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/screech/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [S](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/s/) / screech

# screech

verb (screech, screeches, screeched, screeching); noun (a screech, screeches)

«screech» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To screech is to make a very loud, high, harsh sound, like a scared bird or a person screaming. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#m1)
2. When tyres or brakes screech, they make a sharp, scraping noise as a car stops suddenly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#m2)
3. A screech is one such loud, high, unpleasant sound. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#m3)
4. «Screech to a halt» means to stop very suddenly, often with that noise. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#m4)

### In the lessons

In stories «screech» tells the reader something sudden, scary or out of control: an owl in the night, brakes before a crash, a frightened person. In road safety, screeching brakes warn that a car is stopping hard. A barn owl is also called a screech owl in some places. Common phrases: «screech to a halt», «let out a screech».

### Examples

- The owl screeched in the dark wood. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#x1)
- The car screeched to a halt at the crossing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#x2)
- My little sister screeched when she saw the spider. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#x3)
- We heard the screech of brakes outside school. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#x4)
- The chalk made a horrible screech on the board. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#x5)
- Parrots screech when they are excited. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#x6)
- The train screeched into the station. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#x7)
- She let out a screech of laughter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#x8)
- Peter thimbled her, and almost immediately she screeched. “What is it, Wendy?” [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/#x9)

### Note

Regular verb: screeched. Close in meaning to «shriek» and «scream», but «screech» is harsher and more like a scraping noise; machines and birds screech, people shriek or scream more often. «Screech» can be noun or verb.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «screech» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/screech/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«screech» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/screech.html) on Mova free.