shriek
/ˈʃɹik/
nounverb
Familiar
1.n.sharp piercing cry
“her screaming attracted the neighbors”
2.n.a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry
“he ducked at the screechings of shells”
3.v.utter a shrill cry
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shriek and shrink differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. shriek means “sharp piercing cry”. shrink means “wither, as with a loss of moisture”. shrink is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈʃɹik/
1.n.sharp piercing cry
“her screaming attracted the neighbors”
2.n.a high-pitched noise resembling a human cry
“he ducked at the screechings of shells”
3.v.utter a shrill cry
/ˈʃɹɪŋk/
1.v.wither, as with a loss of moisture
“The fruit dried and shriveled”
2.v.draw back, as with fear or pain
“she flinched when they showed the slaughtering of the calf”
3.v.reduce in size; reduce physically
“Hot water will shrink the sweater”
| shriek | shrink | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈʃɹik/ | /ˈʃɹɪŋk/ |
| Said | shreek | shringk |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | verb, noun |
| Senses | 3 | 6 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | scream, screaming, shrieking | shrivel, shrivel up, wither |
Full entry for shriek · Full entry for shrink · More comparisons