Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Piercing the ear, as a shrill or sharp sound.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective extremely loud (of sound)
  • noun A piercing in the ear.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • I screamed, an ear-piercing scream, terrified that he was hurt, that . . .

    Haven Kristi Cook 2011

  • I screamed, an ear-piercing scream, terrified that he was hurt, that . . .

    Haven Kristi Cook 2011

  • The skeptic in the Lakers jersey unleashes a volley of ear-piercing whistles, the sweet sound of approbation.

    Music where they live: Singer Mary McBride's unconventional tour J. Freedom duLac 2011

  • Below, Remy gave an ear-piercing screech and I jumped.

    My Fair Succubi Jill Myles 2011

  • Then a picture-in-picture, with another brain dead reporter who has run out of things to say and decided to simply shove his mic into the faces of two women who emit ear-piercing, tribal screams.

    November 7th, 2009 m_francis 2009

  • Skylarks add a constant, ear-piercing backing track.

    Country diary: South Downs, West Sussex 2011

  • I held the phone up a few feet away from the dog while it screamed and rolled and bit at itself in ear-piercing agony.

    How Far Would You Go To Defend Your Dog? 2009

  • I held the phone up a few feet away from the dog while it screamed and rolled and bit at itself in ear-piercing agony.

    How Far Would You Go To Defend Your Dog? 2009

  • Below, Remy gave an ear-piercing screech and I jumped.

    My Fair Succubi Jill Myles 2011

  • From down the hall he could hear the relentless sound of hammering and the shrill, ear-piercing whine of machines beginning to polish the marble floors.

    I’ll Walk Alone Mary Higgins Clark 2011

Comments

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  • "The shootings of seven people marred Fat Tuesday as ear-piercing gunfire set revelers ducking for cover and brought the final stream of truck floats to a horrifying halt."

    From the caption on a Guardian photo showing a utility truck cleaning up after New Orleans' Mardi Gras celebrations.

    Somehow this was not the use of "ear-piercing" I was expecting in a report on Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Very sad.

    February 28, 2009