screech /skriːtʃ/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1500-1600 ; Origin: scritch 'to screech' (13-20 centuries) , from the sound ]
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to shout loudly in an unpleasant high voice because you are angry, afraid, or excited SYN shriek , scream :
‘Look out!’ she screeched.
They screeched with laughter.
screech at
She screeched at me to take off my muddy shoes.
2 . [intransitive] if a vehicle screeches, its wheels make a high unpleasant noise as it moves along or stops:
A van screeched onto the road in front of me.
The car screeched to a halt.
—screech noun [countable] :
a screech of laughter
the screech of tyres
• • •
THESAURUS
■ a high sound
▪ squeak a very short high sound or cry:
I heard the squeak of his shoes on the tiled floor.
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Annie gave a squeak of surprise.
▪ creak a long high sound that something makes when someone opens it, walks on it, sits on it etc - used especially about a door, wooden floor, bed, or stairs:
the creak of floorboards
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The door opened with a creak.
▪ screech a loud, long, unpleasantly high sound - used especially about someone’s voice, or about brakes, tyres etc:
There was a screech of tyres followed by a bang.
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She let out a screech of horror.
▪ beep ( also bleep British English ) a high electronic sound that a machine sends out, especially in order to attract someone’s attention:
You’ll hear a bleep when the photocopier’s finished printing.