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\ ˈskwȯk 
\
\squawked; squawking; squawks
Definition of squawk
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to utter a harsh abrupt scream
2 : to complain or protest loudly or vehemently
opponents of the bill squawked
squawk
nounDefinition of squawk (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : a harsh abrupt scream
2 : a noisy complaint
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Synonyms & Antonyms for squawk
Synonyms: Verb
- beef,
- bellyache,
- bitch,
- bleat,
- carp,
- caterwaul,
- complain,
- crab,
- croak,
- fuss,
- gripe,
- grizzle,
- grouch,
- grouse,
- growl,
- grumble,
- grump,
- holler,
- inveigh,
- keen,
- kick,
- kvetch,
- maunder
- [chiefly British],
- moan,
- murmur,
- mutter,
- nag,
- repine,
- scream,
- squeal,
- wail,
- whimper,
- whine,
- whinge
- [British],
- yammer,
- yawp
- (or yaup),
- yowl
Synonyms: Noun
- beef,
- bitch,
- bleat,
- carp,
- complaint,
- fuss,
- grievance,
- gripe,
- grouch,
- grouse,
- grumble,
- holler,
- kvetch,
- lament,
- miserere,
- moan,
- murmur,
- plaint,
- wail,
- whimper,
- whine,
- whinge
- [British],
- yammer
Antonyms: Verb
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Examples of squawk in a Sentence
Verb
The customers squawked about the high prices.
Opponents of the project have been squawking. Noun
if we don't receive any squawks, we can assume the change was acceptable
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The current lineup of Modern Nature, the quartet that began its first U.S. tour at Comet Ping Pong on Thursday night, features a guitarist who can shred and a saxophonist who can squawk.
—
Washington Post, "From hushed balladry to blasts of free-jazz sax, Modern Nature entrances at first U.S. show," 10 Jan. 2020 Before Polynesian settlers arrived in New Zealand around the 13th century, its forests squawked, chirped and tweeted with bird life.
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Sarah Lazarus, CNN, "Can tech save the kakapo, New Zealand's 'gorgeous, hilarious' parrot?," 26 Dec. 2019 In centuries past, large flocks of noisy, brightly colored parrots squawked their way across the United States—from New England, to Florida, to eastern Colorado.
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Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "The Extinction of This U.S. Parrot Was Quick and Driven by Humans," 13 Dec. 2019 This could change in two weeks, if MSU loses to Maryland, misses a bowl game, its promising young players transfer and the school’s most influential alumni start squawking.
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Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan State's Mark Dantonio deserves one more chance to rewrite his ending," 20 Nov. 2019 On a late-summer afternoon on Anacapa, Guerra bent down on one knee while squawking sea gulls flew overhead.
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Tribune News Service, oregonlive, "Sea gulls love In-N-Out but their diet may be changing their pristine island homes," 3 Nov. 2019 Seabirds squawked and soared through the blue skies.
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Tribune News Service, cleveland, "In the ‘Land of 10,000 Waterfalls,’ the Faroe Islands draw more visitors for the picturesque Nordic scenery," 24 Nov. 2019 Though he has been largely written off as a character actor, one who only could play variations on squawking wiseguys like Tommy, his career has long begged for reappraisal.
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New York Times, "The Restrained Genius of a Joe Pesci Performance," 6 Nov. 2019 In the summer months, Anacapa is a cacophonous sea of about 10,000 squawking gulls guarding their territory and chirping chicks hungry for their next meal.
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Tribune News Service, oregonlive, "Sea gulls love In-N-Out but their diet may be changing their pristine island homes," 3 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The shrieks and squawks of the penguins during breeding season may not sound like much, but new research published Tuesday suggests that these raucous calls follow similar linguistic patterns as some found in human language.
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NBC News, "Call of the wild? African penguins share some linguistic patterns with humans.," 5 Feb. 2020 When Bamford is addressing one person, her comedic style—a childlike speaking voice intercut with squawks, growls, and a sultry baritone—both softens and intensifies.
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Lizzie Feidelson, The New Yorker, "Maria Bamford Melds Speed Dating and Standup Comedy," 30 Dec. 2019 Avian sounds—flutish trills, alarmlike buzzes, and one-note squawks alike—are immediately absorbed, reflected, and scattered by everything in a bird’s habitat.
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Marion Renault, Popular Science, "See how birds change their tunes to fit their surroundings," 27 Jan. 2020 Occasionally, a fragment of thought bursts out as a spontaneous squawk or obscene fragment of Dadaist poetry.
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Kerry Lengel, azcentral, "Edward Norton on ‘Motherless Brooklyn,’ ‘Fight Club,’ ‘Joker,’ #MeToo, toxic masculinity," 4 Nov. 2019 The 4-foot tall birds, which migrate south to Florida for the winter, show up at the door, watch TV through the glass, hang out by the bird feeders, chase off squirrels, lounge in the shade and squawk at passing dogs.
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Deanna Weniger, Twin Cities, "When‘s dinner? Two sandhill cranes have been stopping by a WBL house for a snack for a decade," 19 Oct. 2019 All three take notes as McKenna squirms, stretches tiny fingers, loses her pacifier, and squawks weakly — coping with the world is still difficult.
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BostonGlobe.com, "One woman’s quest to improve care for premature babies - The Boston Globe," 28 Sep. 2019 But then the bird opens its beak — and instead of a squawk, John Oliver’s nasally English accent comes out.
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Nora Mcgreevy, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Lion King’ remake offers a muffled roar," 17 July 2019 The squawk of gulls circling potential meals is a less welcome part of the background noise.
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Nick Corasaniti, New York Times, "Flying Assassins Are Called In to Combat Aggressive Gulls," 15 Aug. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'squawk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for squawk
squawk
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of squawk
of a bird : to make a short, harsh cry
: to complain or protest loudly or with strong feeling
See the full definition for squawk in the English Language Learners Dictionary
squawk
verb\ ˈskwȯk \
\squawked; squawking
Kids Definition of squawk
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to make a harsh short cry
The bird squawked loudly.
2 : to complain or protest loudly or with strong feeling
squawk
nounKids Definition of squawk (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : a harsh short cry
2 : a noisy complaint
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Comments on squawk
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Time Traveler for squawk
The first known use of squawk was in 1821
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