screamed; screaming; screams
1
a(1)
: to voice a sudden sharp loud cry
(2)
: to produce harsh high tones
b
: to make a noise resembling a scream
the siren screamed
c
: to move with great rapidity
2
a
: to speak or write with intense emotion
b
: to protest, demand, or complain vehemently
c
: to laugh boisterously
3
: to produce a vivid startling effect
1
: to utter with or as if with a scream
"Use your mirror!" screamed her petrified bodyguard …—
Alan Coren
Alan CorenFans in the mosh pit shook their fists and screamed her lyrics in unison.—Neal Karlen
Neal Karlen2
: to call (something) to mind very strongly and clearly
They may be a pain to carve, but few things scream Halloween quite like the iconic jack o'lantern.—Matt Juul
Matt JuulThere's something about Jane Austen novels, and especially Pride & Prejudice, that just screams fall reading to me.—Kerry Jarema
Kerry Jarema1
: a loud sharp penetrating cry or noise
2
: a very funny person or thing
Examples of scream in a Sentence
Verb
She screamed when the door suddenly slammed shut.
This is so irritating I could scream.
The crowd screamed with excitement.
He was dragged, kicking and screaming, from the room.
He screamed at her to stop.
Sirens were screaming in the distance.
Police cars screamed down the street.
Newspaper headlines screamed about the spike in crime.
Noun
She let out a piercing scream.
that new comedy is a scream
Recent Examples on the Web
Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
The first thing many visitors see from their airplane windows is the giant LUMEN screaming up through the Seattle gloom.
—Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 10 June 2026
Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
The episode met with an enthusiastic response from the Taormina audience with squeals of disgust when Aemond seemingly leans into kiss his mother on the lips; as well as cheers, shocked screams and collective gasps as characters fought to the death, sometimes triumphing and sometimes not.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for scream
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Verb
As if each of us isn’t a walking embodiment of our moment, clueless and attuned at once, screaming about one thing and in total denial about another.
—Literary Hub, 10 June 2026
The first thing many visitors see from their airplane windows is the giant LUMEN screaming up through the Seattle gloom.
—Les Carpenter, Washington Post, 10 June 2026
Noun
Her endless screams and sobs echo back to the agonized wailing of The Mist’s David Drayton, who murdered his child and friends for nothing.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
The episode met with an enthusiastic response from the Taormina audience with squeals of disgust when Aemond seemingly leans into kiss his mother on the lips; as well as cheers, shocked screams and collective gasps as characters fought to the death, sometimes triumphing and sometimes not.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for scream
Cite this Entry
“Scream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scream. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scream
1 of 2 verb1
: to cry out, sound, or utter loudly and shrilly
2
: to move with great speed
3
a
: to produce or give a vivid, startling, or alarming effect or expression
b
: to protest, demand, or complain forcefully
screamer
noun
scream
2 of 2 noun1
: a loud shrill long cry or noise
screams of terror
2
: a very funny person or thing
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