banshee

noun

ban·shee ˈban-(ˌ)shē

ban-ˈshē

Synonyms of banshee next

: a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die

We heard someone screaming like a banshee.

Did you know?

In Irish folklore, a bean sídhe (literally "woman of fairyland") was not a welcome guest. When she was seen combing her hair or heard wailing beneath a window, it was considered a sign that a family member was about to die. English speakers modified the mournful fairy's Irish name into the modern word banshee—a term we now most often use to evoke her woeful or terrible or earsplitting cry, as in "to scream like a banshee," or attributively, as in "a banshee wail."

Examples of banshee in a Sentence

I heard someone wailing like a banshee.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Our ears are still ringing from watching fans become shrieking banshees upon realizing that one of her professional dancers was actually the NFL star. —

Lauren Huff, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024 Electrified and electrifying, this 500-kilowatt (670-horsepower) track banshee heralds a new hybrid age in the top levels of racing. —

IEEE Spectrum, 28 Mar. 2012 Like after that double play, when the normally stoic, borderline emotionless player came running off the field, roaring like a banshee and pumping his fists like a warrior. —

Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic, 13 July 2024 As Vance’s mother, who suffers from undiagnosed mental-health issues and an eventual substance abuse problem, Adams is a banshee. —

Sarah Jones, Vulture, 15 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for banshee