How to Use shrill in a Sentence

shrill

1 of 2 adjective

• Please get out of the way!’ Shaw-Asquith’s voice was shrill.
  — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, 17 June 2018
• Before the chicks hatch in a few weeks, be sure to listen for the shrill call of the nesting bird.
  — Benji Jones, National Geographic, 4 Apr. 2018
• In his case, the noise sounds like a constant, shrill whistle.
  — Erika Edwards, NBC News, 23 Apr. 2023
• Owen’s voice is a bit shrill, a bit loud, coming from a body a bit too small.
  — Derek B. Miller, WSJ, 15 Oct. 2021
• The shrill sounds of the sperm whale are downright dangerous.
  — Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2023
• If his shrill voice doesn’t win you over, his little vest will.
  — Luke Winkie, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2021
• Then, from the right, came a shrill whoop as a third group charged out of the bushes, shouting and firing.
  — Tristan McConnell, GQ, 16 Apr. 2018
• The shrill white noise that occurs on the radio is also around 10 kHz.
  — National Geographic, 7 Mar. 2018
• On the battlefield, the Vietnam War was just as shrill as the wars that came before it.
  — Matt Alderton, USA TODAY, 6 Sep. 2017
• The acidity was a bit shrill, the finish a touch bitter.
  — Lettie Teague, WSJ, 24 May 2018
• The shrill cry of the Batá drum and the low moans of the dùndún drum, from the Yoruba; the metallic clatter of the ogene bell and the silvery melody of the opi flute, from the Igbo.
  — Wired, 1 Sep. 2021
• Gottfried was known for his iconic shrill voice and beloved for his crude comedic style.
  — Zack Sharf, Variety, 12 Apr. 2022
• The hens of many dabbling species make shrill quacks, while drakes make softer peeps and whistles.
  — Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 8 Nov. 2023
• Getting to play with the space of a very shrill, withered, but still creepy version of that persona.
  — Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 12 May 2023
• The wailing alarm had now been joined by a shrill, bleating second alarm sound.
  — Keith Sharon, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2023
• On the one hand, shrill; on the other, desperate for approval.
  — Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2019
• Their droppings littered the streets, and their shrill cries echoed throughout the quiet town.
  — Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 5 July 2022
• But the shrill warnings that left Patil so alarmed had actually helped carry the day for the BJP along the coast.
  — Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023
• Time Out New York asked him whether his shrill-voiced shtick had gotten louder over time.
  — NBC News, 12 Apr. 2022
• Those high-gain guitars sing and squeal on their own in shrill counterpoint.
  — John Adamian, courant.com, 19 May 2018
• The children were exploring when came a shrill warning to flee.
  — Gary Jones/ Suối Đá, Time, 12 Sep. 2017
• Drive down that road and a patch of bright green pops into view — the color of life shrill in a place where everything else looks dead.
  — Leah Sottile, Longreads, 15 May 2018
• After Trump’s sour, shrill withdrawal from Paris, though, Merkel isn’t likely to be the one who is alone.
  — Amy Davidson, The New Yorker, 1 June 2017
• Electric kettles don’t wake up the whole house with a shrill scream once your water is done boiling.
  — Louryn Strampe, WIRED, 26 Dec. 2022
• The beetle was beneath my foot at the moment when my foot fell; a sense of well-being in the daylight, a short, shrill pain and then nothing.
  — James Wood, The New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2022
• Larson's score remains a mix of soul-stirring ballads and shrill screeds.
  — Theodore P. Mahne, NOLA.com, 18 Apr. 2018
• Even when brisk prairie winds blow, the shrill whine of the fans within Applied Digital’s Bitcoin mine can be heard a half-mile away.
  — Gabriel J.x. Dance Zach Levitt, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2023
• Some of the diplomats victims reported hearing a shrill buzzing sound, but not all.
  — Mimi Whitefield, miamiherald, 30 Jan. 2018
• The dominant note is the shrill voice of the superpatriot.
  — Antonia Lloyd-Jones, Harpers Magazine, 11 May 2020
• As Sheridan tried to explain soccer fans’ unique affinity for the incongruous celebration, her words were drowned out by a ruckus outside the interview room, as only the shrill voices of little girls can.
  — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Sep. 2023

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shrill

2 of 2 noun

• Inside a lobby of a downtown Tuscaloosa hotel, the shrill of a phone ring echoes.
  — Rainer Sabin, AL.com, 29 Aug. 2017
• In lesser hands, Vicedo’s book could have grown shrill with outrage.
  — Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2021
• The morning soundtrack is a shrill buzz of electric saws, and at dusk, the amplified broadcast of the town council meeting.
  — Natalie Keyssar, National Geographic, 26 July 2019
• And more than 30 years ago, the island’s air vibrated with the deafening shrill of thousands of chirping cicadas.
  — Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 27 May 2021
• Inside are piles of shrill and whining piccolo petes, neon flame-spouting blazing rebels and mounds of sparklers.
  — Alex Harris, miamiherald, 3 July 2017
• Waugh maintains barely restrained chaos throughout, which often tends toward the shrill.
  — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2020
• Shoppers casually meandered from store to store, and the shrill shouts of children could be heard echoing through the concourses of the Mall of America.
  — Nicole Norfleet, Star Tribune, 15 Aug. 2020
• With the shrill of whistles breaking either the 8 a.m. or the 4 p.m. quiet on the various campuses, the start time for the respective teams, workouts have now taken on major urgency.
  — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 7 Aug. 2019
• This is a shrill, tetchy, claustrophobic rock album sodden with record-biz pouting and only the dullest shades of pre-apocalyptic ennui.
  — Chris Richards, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2019
• While Stephanie elicits much sympathy, Rena bounces from the empathetic, caring mother to a shrill, out-of-control woman who picks fights with anyone trying to help her.
  — Oline H. Cogdill, sun-sentinel.com, 28 Oct. 2019
• The shrills first arose when the record-signing refused teammate Edinson Cavani the opportunity to make history by not allowing him to take a penalty against Olympique Lyon.
  — SI.com, 24 Jan. 2018
• The dolphins were introduced to something unusual—either a scuba diver or a shrill noisemaker—and Díaz López found that each had a consistent reaction over time.
  — Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2020
• Inside a lobby of a downtown Tuscaloosa hotel, the shrill of a phone ring echoes.
  — Rainer Sabin, AL.com, 29 Aug. 2017
• In lesser hands, Vicedo’s book could have grown shrill with outrage.
  — Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2021
• The morning soundtrack is a shrill buzz of electric saws, and at dusk, the amplified broadcast of the town council meeting.
  — Natalie Keyssar, National Geographic, 26 July 2019
• And more than 30 years ago, the island’s air vibrated with the deafening shrill of thousands of chirping cicadas.
  — Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 27 May 2021
• Inside are piles of shrill and whining piccolo petes, neon flame-spouting blazing rebels and mounds of sparklers.
  — Alex Harris, miamiherald, 3 July 2017
• Waugh maintains barely restrained chaos throughout, which often tends toward the shrill.
  — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2020
• Shoppers casually meandered from store to store, and the shrill shouts of children could be heard echoing through the concourses of the Mall of America.
  — Nicole Norfleet, Star Tribune, 15 Aug. 2020
• With the shrill of whistles breaking either the 8 a.m. or the 4 p.m. quiet on the various campuses, the start time for the respective teams, workouts have now taken on major urgency.
  — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, 7 Aug. 2019
• This is a shrill, tetchy, claustrophobic rock album sodden with record-biz pouting and only the dullest shades of pre-apocalyptic ennui.
  — Chris Richards, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2019
• While Stephanie elicits much sympathy, Rena bounces from the empathetic, caring mother to a shrill, out-of-control woman who picks fights with anyone trying to help her.
  — Oline H. Cogdill, sun-sentinel.com, 28 Oct. 2019
• The shrills first arose when the record-signing refused teammate Edinson Cavani the opportunity to make history by not allowing him to take a penalty against Olympique Lyon.
  — SI.com, 24 Jan. 2018
• The dolphins were introduced to something unusual—either a scuba diver or a shrill noisemaker—and Díaz López found that each had a consistent reaction over time.
  — Theresa MacHemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2020
• Inside a lobby of a downtown Tuscaloosa hotel, the shrill of a phone ring echoes.
  — Rainer Sabin, AL.com, 29 Aug. 2017
• In lesser hands, Vicedo’s book could have grown shrill with outrage.
  — Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2021
• The morning soundtrack is a shrill buzz of electric saws, and at dusk, the amplified broadcast of the town council meeting.
  — Natalie Keyssar, National Geographic, 26 July 2019
• And more than 30 years ago, the island’s air vibrated with the deafening shrill of thousands of chirping cicadas.
  — Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 27 May 2021
• Inside are piles of shrill and whining piccolo petes, neon flame-spouting blazing rebels and mounds of sparklers.
  — Alex Harris, miamiherald, 3 July 2017
• Waugh maintains barely restrained chaos throughout, which often tends toward the shrill.
  — Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2020

Last Updated: 5 Sep 2024