What does scream mean?
Scream is a versatile verb and noun for a loud, piercing cry, usually produced by strong emotion or physical distress. As a verb, it describes crying out because of fear, pain, surprise, anger, excitement, or intense amusement: a child may scream during a frightening moment, while an audience may scream with laughter. As a noun, a scream is the cry itself, and phrases such as “a scream for help” or “a blood-curdling scream” make its urgency and emotional force clear. The word can also be used figuratively for an urgent appeal or an especially striking expression of feeling. Although it appears in serious contexts such as accident reports and literary descriptions, it is equally natural in everyday conversation. Its broad range of associations makes it more emotionally vivid than the general word “cry” and less specifically harsh than “screech.”
A loud, piercing cry, especially one expressing fear, pain, surprise, anger, or intense emotion.
"A scream from the other room made everyone stop talking."
The noun often emphasizes the sound or the emotional intensity of the cry rather than the person making it.
To cry out loudly or in a high-pitched voice, usually because of fear, pain, surprise, anger, excitement, or amusement.
"She screamed when the thunder crashed directly above the house."
Scream can be used with a direct object, as in “scream help,” or with a prepositional phrase, as in “scream for help.”
The standard plural noun is “screams”; “screaming” is normally the verb form or a present participle.
"The screams echoed through the empty corridor."
A scream can convey terror, pain, rage, or uncontrollable laughter, giving one everyday word an unusually wide emotional range.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does scream come from?
The English word comes from Middle English scremen, which continues an Old English form meaning “to cry out.” It belongs to a Germanic family of words associated with loud cries; related forms include German schreien and Dutch schreeuwen. Some etymologies also connect these forms with Latin stridere and Ancient Greek strizō, both associated with making a sharp or noisy sound.
Related word forms
How scream is actually used
Scream is used in both formal reporting and informal speech. It usually suggests a loud, high-pitched, emotionally intense cry and can describe vocalizations caused by fear, pain, anger, surprise, or laughter. The word is common in British and American English; “holler” is a more informal alternative.
Easily confused with scream
A scream is a general term for a loud, emotionally intense cry, whereas a screech is specifically a harsh, piercing, often high-pitched sound.
A scream is a vocal cry, while a stream is a narrow flow of water or another continuous moving substance.