scream
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A loud vocalisation of many animals.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
skreemIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈskɹim
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A loud vocalisation of many animals, especially in response to pain or fear.
A loud, emphatic, exclamation of extreme emotion, especially horror, fear, excitement, or anger; it may comprise a word or a sustained, high-pitched vowel sound.
informal
Used as an intensifier.
verb
intransitivealso figuratively
To cry out with a shrill voice; to utter a sudden, sharp outcry, or shrill, loud cry, as in fright or extreme pain; to screech, to shriek.
Utter or declare in a very loud voice
intransitivefiguratively
To move quickly; to race.
intransitivefigurativelyinformal
To be very indicative of; clearly having the characteristics of.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A loud vocalisation of many animals, especially in response to pain or fear.
Used this way, scream is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly unfavourable pull. It sounds natural in ordinary conversation and in expressive writing alike.
- Emotional tone
- Negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Serious and weighty
- Usage feel
- Everyday but emotionally strong
Nearby words
- shriek , more casual, better suited to speech than writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use scream
- “Fighter planes are screaming through the skies.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Sharp piercing cry.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Extreme nervousness.
Distinguished from the horned screamer by a feathery crest on the back of the head.
Screamer having a hornlike process projecting from the forehead.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.