尖叫(jiān jiào) - to scream, to shriek, a scream in Mandarin

尖叫 (jiān jiào) is the high, piercing kind of shout: fright, pain, delight at a concert. It works as a verb (她尖叫了一声, she gave a scream) and as a noun after a measure word (一声尖叫, one scream).

The 尖 (jiān) half is doing real work. Plain 叫 (jiào) is any call at all, including calling someone's name or a dog barking. Adding 尖 (jiān, sharp) pins the sound down to something thin and high, which is why 尖叫 (jiān jiào) is almost never used for an angry man bellowing.

The trap for English speakers is reaching for 尖叫 (jiān jiào) whenever they would say "shout". For shouting at someone, or shouting to be heard across a room, use 大声说 (dà shēng shuō) or 喊 (hǎn). Save 尖叫 (jiān jiào) for the sound that makes people turn round.