screech
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a loud, high, and unpleasant noise, often made by something moving or rubbing against a surface.
n.a high-pitched, strident, or piercing sound, typically produced by friction between a moving object and a surface.
Simple“The car came to a stop with a loud screech of tyres on the wet road.”
In context“The sudden screech of metal against metal echoed through the factory, signaling that the conveyor belt had finally jammed.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'of' to describe the source, such as 'a screech of brakes'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a sharp, high-pitched cry made by a person or animal.
n.a harsh, shrill vocalisation, often associated with acute pain, terror, or animalistic distress.
Simple“An owl let out a piercing screech in the middle of the night.”
In context“The silence of the woods was shattered by the screech of a hawk circling high above the valley.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to make a very high, loud, and unpleasant sound.
v.to emit a high-pitched, piercing sound, whether vocally or through mechanical friction.
Simple“The parrots in the pet shop started to screech as soon as we walked in.”
In context“The subway train screeched to a halt at the platform, forcing the waiting passengers to cover their ears.”
UsageCommonly used in the phrasal construction 'screech to a halt'.
- 04 C1 Advanced
v.to move very quickly, especially in a car, making a lot of noise.
v.to travel at high speed, typically implying the sound of tyres or an engine under strain.
Simple“The getaway car screeched around the corner and disappeared down a side street.”
In context“The ambulance screeched through the intersection, its siren wailing as it fought through the heavy afternoon traffic.”
UsageIntransitive; often followed by a preposition of direction like 'around' or 'past'.
- 05 C2 Proficiency
n.a famous, very strong type of rum from Newfoundland in Canada.
n.a specific brand of high-alcohol-content dark rum associated with the culture of Newfoundland.
Simple“During their trip to Canada, they tried a glass of Newfoundland screech at a local pub.”
In context“The 'Screech-in' ceremony is a popular tradition for visitors to Newfoundland, involving a shot of the local rum and kissing a cod.”
UsageUncountable; usually capitalized when referring to the specific brand.
1602; altered with expressive vowel lengthening from earlier skrech (1577), variant of obsolete scritch, from Middle English skriken, shrichen, schrichen (1250), from Old English (attested as scriccettan) and Old Norse skríkja, both from Proto-Germanic skrīkijaną (compare Icelandic skríkja, Old Saxon scricōn, Danish skrige, Swedish skrika), derivative of skrīhaną (compare Middle Dutch schriën, German schreien, Low German dial. schrien, schriegen), ultimately of imitative origin.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.