screamer
|scream-er|
🇺🇸
/ˈskriːmər/
🇬🇧
/ˈskriːmə/
one who or something that makes a loud cry / attention-grabber
Etymology
'screamer' originates from English, formed from the verb 'scream' + the agentive suffix '-er', where 'scream' meant 'a loud cry'.
'scream' is of imitative (onomatopoeic) origin and appears in Middle English in forms like 'scremen'; adding the productive English suffix '-er' produced the modern noun 'screamer'.
Initially it meant 'one who makes a loud cry'; over time it also came to mean 'a loud or piercing sound', 'an exceptionally impressive (often sporting) shot', and by extension 'a thing intended to make someone scream' (a jump-scare).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person who screams or who habitually shouts.
The toddler was a real screamer when he didn't get his toy.
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Noun 2
a loud, high-pitched cry or shout; a piercing sound.
I heard a screamer outside my window and woke up.
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Noun 3
informal: an exceptionally impressive or spectacular thing or event (often a very powerful shot or goal in sports).
He scored a screamer from 30 yards into the top corner.
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Last updated: 2025/09/08 18:26