scream

From Middle English scremen, scræmen, probably from a fusion of Middle Dutch scremen (“to yell; shout”) and Old Norse skræma (“to terrify; scare”); compare Dutch schremen (“to shout; yell; cry”), Swedish skrämma (“to spook; frighten”), Danish skræmme (“to scare”), West Frisian skrieme (“to weep”). Compare also Swedish skräna (“to yell; shout; howl”), Dutch schreien (“to cry; weep”), German schreien (“to scream”). Related to shriek, skrike.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈskɹiːm/
• (General American) enPR: skrīm, IPA^(key): /skɹim/
• Rhymes: -iːm

• Audio (US)

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scream (plural screams)

1. 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.
2. (music) A form of singing associated with the metal and screamo styles of music. It is a loud, rough, distorted version of the voice; rather than the normal voice of the singer.
3. (informal) Used as an intensifier

   We had a real scream of a time at the beach.

   • 1994 June 28, “Kingdom of the faithful: Serena Mackesy visits Jordan”, in Independent:

     Amman, though not exactly your world cultural centre, is a scream of a city; all the roads have different names from their official ones, so that maps are useless

4. (printers' slang) exclamation mark

scream (third-person singular simple present screams, present participle screaming, simple past and past participle screamed or (nonstandard) screamt)

1. To cry out with a shrill voice; to utter a sudden, sharp outcry, or shrill, loud cry, as in fright or extreme pain; to shriek; to screech.
   • Shakespeare

     I heard the owl scream and the crickets cry.

2. To move quickly; to race.

   He almost hit a pole, the way he came screaming down the hill.

• (make the sound of a scream): see also Thesaurus:shout
• (move quickly): speed, zoom; see also Thesaurus:move quickly or Thesaurus:rush

• crames, creams, macers, recams