shriek
To give a sudden loud high scream; or the scream itself.
shriek in a sentence
- Ella shrieked with fright when a spider dropped onto her book.
- A shriek of laughter came from the trampoline, so loud it set the dogs barking.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to shriek?
- Amurmur
- Bscream
- Cwhisper
Show the answer
B: scream. The other three mean the opposite of shriek.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to shriek?
- Ascream
- Bwhisper
- Cscreech
- Dsqueal
Show the answer
B: whisper. The other three mean nearly the same as shriek.
Words that mean something similar
scream, screech, squeal
Words that mean the opposite
whisper, murmur
More words about speech & sound
- shrill: So high and piercing that it hurts your ears.
- squabble: To argue noisily about something small and unimportant.
- stammer: To speak with pauses and repeated sounds, finding it hard to get words out.
- summarise: To give the main points of something in a short way.
- summon: To officially call someone to come to you.
- taunt: To tease someone in a cruel way to upset them.
- terse: Using very few words, often in an unfriendly way.
- tumult: A loud, confused noise made by an excited crowd.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test