Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Loud and shrill enough to hurt the ears.

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

  • adjective Extremely loud, painfully loud.

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Bravo Company fired back long-barreled 105 mm howitzers, which rocketed off with an earsplitting report.

    The Longest War Peter L. Bergen 2011

  • Those three earsplitting beeps were a death knell: the demise of all my planning and scheming.

    The Dark Side of Innocence Terri Cheney 2011

  • The detector resumed its earsplitting shriek as I chucked the box of flour into the oven.

    Odd Girl In Jo Whittemore 2011

  • There's an earsplitting boom and Stephen Lang hits the deck hard as the windows implode.

    Terra Nova Exclusive: On the Set of TV's Hottest New Show 2011

  • With an earsplitting shriek I plunged it down toward its target, as hard as I could.

    Haven Kristi Cook 2011

  • Inside the kitchen, the alarm was earsplitting and smoke poured out of the oven in thick, gray curls.

    Odd Girl In Jo Whittemore 2011

  • I had been the one up nursing the baby through his earsplitting demands, gritting my teeth through the pain of what had to be another clogged milk duct, on the right side this time.

    The Bird House Kelly Simmons 2011

  • The audio was even more terrifying than the imagery - earsplitting wind, objects getting smashing, wailing children and a woman praying repeatedly.

    Tornadoes Hit Midwest: Missouri Tornado Kills At Least 116 (VIDEO) 2011

  • As we went inside, we heard the earsplitting crack of lightning strike.

    Dreamseller: The Calling Augusto Cury 2011

  • With an earsplitting shriek I plunged it down toward its target, as hard as I could.

    Haven Kristi Cook 2011

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