earsplitting

[ eer-split-ing ]

/ ˈɪərˌsplɪt ɪŋ /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for earsplitting on Thesaurus.com

adjective

ear-piercing: an earsplitting explosion.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of earsplitting

First recorded in 1880–85; ear¹ + splitting

Words nearby earsplitting

earring, ear rot, ear sewer, ear shell, earshot, earsplitting, ear stone, ear tag, earth, Eartha, earth almond

How to use earsplitting in a sentence

As I stepped into the main building that housed Unit C, an earsplitting siren blared suddenly and a dozen strobes flashed.
Inside a Hospital for the Criminally Insane|Caitlin Dickson|September 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An earsplitting crack was followed by a mosquito-like voice singing in the wilderness.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 153, October 31, 1917|Various
This earsplitting racket continued, he says, without interruption for two days.
The Man Who Rocked the Earth|Arthur Train
Above the earsplitting thunder of the eruption he heard shrill cries and raucous shoutings.
The Man Who Rocked the Earth|Arthur Train

The automatic radiation safety equipment filled the ship with an earsplitting buzz of warning.
Rip Foster in Ride the Gray Planet|Harold Leland Goodwin
They were halfway out on the reef when the plane leveled out of its dive with an earsplitting whine.
Tom Swift and The Visitor from Planet X|Victor Appleton

British Dictionary definitions for earsplitting

ear-splitting

adjective

so loud or shrill as to hurt the ears

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012