To screech means to make a harsh, high-pitched, piercing sound. When car brakes screech as a driver stops suddenly, the sound is so sharp and loud it makes people wince. An owl screeches in the night, cutting through the silence with its hunting call. A child might screech with excitement on a roller coaster, their voice rising to an almost painful pitch.

The word captures both the sound itself and the intensity behind it. A screech is sharp, sudden, and impossible to ignore. Tires screech on pavement. A fire alarm screeches through the hallways. Someone might screech in surprise when they discover a spider in the bathroom.

Screech can also describe the way someone speaks when they're very upset or excited. If your little sister screeches at you for borrowing her markers without asking, she's raising her voice to that particular high, grating pitch that shows she's really angry.

When you see screech in a story, your brain can almost hear the sharp, uncomfortable sound the writer wants you to imagine.