Definition

1. Verb:
   • To scream or shriek: To utter a loud, sharp, piercing cry, typically due to sudden pain, fear, or surprise. It often implies a series of such cries and conveys a sense of distress or commotion.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • Đứa bé bị ngã và bắt đầu oai oái. (The child fell and started to shriek.)
  • Đừng có oai oái lên như thế, tôi chỉ chạm nhẹ thôi! (Don't scream like that, I only touched you lightly!)
  • Tiếng oai oái vang lên từ phía công trường. (Shrieks rang out from the construction site.)

Advanced Usage

• The word is onomatopoeic, imitating the sound of high-pitched, distressed yelling. It is often used to describe a noisy, chaotic situation involving multiple cries.
  • Cả khu phố oai oái vì tiếng còi báo động. (The whole neighborhood was in an uproar of shrieking because of the alarm sirens.)

Variants and Related Words

• Oái (verb): A shorter, more abrupt form meaning to yelp or let out a sharp cry. "Oai oái" is the reduplicated, more intensive form.
  • Nó kêu "oái" một tiếng rồi im bặt. (He let out a single "yelp" and then fell silent.)

Synonyms

• To shriek: To utter a sharp, high-pitched cry.
• To scream: To cry out loudly in a high voice, especially from fear or pain.
• To yell: To shout loudly, often in protest or pain.

Related Idioms

• While not a fixed idiom, the phrase "kêu oai oái" is a very common collocation meaning "to scream and shriek."
  • Bọn trẻ kêu oai oái suốt buổi chiều. (The kids were screaming and shrieking all afternoon.)

verb

1. to scream, to shriek