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scream (skrēm)
Share:
v. screamed, scream·ing, screams
v.intr.
1. To utter a long loud piercing cry, as from pain or fear.
2. To make a loud piercing sound: Jet planes screamed through the air.
3. To speak or write in an excited or fearful manner.
4. To have or produce a startling effect: The outlandish costume screamed with clashing colors.
v.tr.
To utter or say in a screaming voice or in an excited or fearful manner: The fans screamed their displeasure.
n.
1. A long, loud, piercing cry or sound.
2. Informal One that is hilariously or ridiculously funny: The new play was a scream.

[Middle English screamen, possibly of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse scræma.]

screaming·ly adv.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.