squawk

verb \ ˈskwȯk \

|Updated on: 24 Jul 2018

Examples: squawk in a Sentence

Definition of squawk

squawked; squawking; squawks

intransitive verb

1 : to utter a harsh abrupt scream

2 : to complain or protest loudly or vehemently

opponents of the bill squawked

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squawker

noun

See squawk defined for English-language learners

See squawk defined for kids

Examples of squawk in a Sentence

The customers squawked about the high prices.
Opponents of the project have been squawking.

Recent Examples of squawk from the Web

Opera purists may squawk, but for me every voice does justice not only to Bizet’s melodic richness but also to the inescapable fatalism of the story, as the music tugs everyone into combustible convergence.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Review: Bad Girl Makes Good in a Glorious ‘Carmen Jones’," 27 June 2018
Kudos to the editors for juxtaposing that with peacocks squawking in response.

— anna moeslein, Glamour, "The Bachelorette Season 14 Episode 5 Recap: These Guys Are All the Worst," 25 June 2018
Brexiters will squawk about a betrayal, but their political failure is not uniting to make the case for something better.

— the editorial board, WSJ, "Brexit and Circuses," 13 June 2018
GenderAvenger, a national group with a Massachusetts chapter, isn’t the only one in town squawking about the lack of women on panels.

— shirley leung, BostonGlobe.com, "At biotech’s biggest showcase, the lineup is light on female speakers," 31 May 2018
Hiller was angry earlier in the day because Smith’s bird was squawking in the yard, said State Attorney Office spokesman Larry Kahn.

— gwen filosa, miamiherald, "A barking woman was annoyed at a barking dog. So she zapped his groin with a stun gun | Miami Herald," 3 May 2018
Rodríguez carefully untangled a squawking hummingbird from a mist net.

— National Geographic, "Inside the Black Market Hummingbird Love Charm Trade," 18 Apr. 2018
Although her late-night set began with a series of technical difficulties — from squawking vocals to dropped sound (none of which were her fault) — Dacus remained as graceful as ever.

— britt julious, chicagotribune.com, "Lucy Dacus brings 'Historian' to vibrant life at the Empty Bottle," 7 Apr. 2018
There are also a few lines, seemingly improvised, that had the audience squawking.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "Amy Schumer’s Head Injury," 20 Apr. 2018

These 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.

Origin and Etymology of squawk

probably blend of squall and squeak

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1821

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

squawk Synonyms

Phrases

kick up a fuss;

squawk

noun

Definition of squawk

1 : a harsh abrupt scream

2 : a noisy complaint

Examples of squawk in a Sentence

if we don't receive any squawks, we can assume the change was acceptable

Recent Examples of squawk from the Web

Romantic writers and painters have struggled to capture the wistfulness of that ocean air, the cloud shadowing those sunny skies; poets have called it forth with the squawk of the seagull.

— pat cunnane, WSJ, "Goodbye to Summer, Just as It Begins," 5 July 2018
But palentologist Julia Clarke, while analyzing an ancient bird Vegavis iaai, which would have been alive during the reign of the Tyrannosaurus, discovered a syrinx, the organ that gives modern birds their wide range of honks and squawks.

— darren orf, Popular Mechanics, "Dinosaurs Probably Didn't Roar, But Some Definitely Quacked," 13 Oct. 2016
She often was awakened by the squawks of wild turkeys trudging past her tent.

— cynthia hubert, sacbee, "Homeless people are moving from the river to homes in the suburbs. Does this approach work?," 10 June 2018
There’s also the magic of being on the water, watching the sunrise from a boat through the Golden Gate, the squawks of the birds and the familiar smell of the old salt air.

— tom stienstra, SFChronicle.com, "Salmon opener brings mysteries, chance of mayhem," 10 June 2018
But now, science might have an answer, sort of, in the form of chairs shaped like eggs and ceilings that bounce your own squawks back at you, forcing you to quiet down through a trick of acoustic psychology.

— olga khazan, The Atlantic, "How to Make Your Open Office Less Annoying," 9 May 2018
Its squawk echoes an ancient call that has reverberated through this land for thousands of years.

— National Geographic, "This Is What One of the Last Great Migrations Looks Like," 17 Apr. 2018
At the head of the Conner tribe were Roseanne (Roseanne Barr), with her squawk of a laugh and pro-choice politics, and Dan (John Goodman), an overworked, loveable bull of a husband.

— jason parham, WIRED, "The Fall of the TV Family in Trump's America," 28 Mar. 2018
From his longhouse, at sunset, there was the squawk of parrots, and the night sky soon filled with stars.

— jon lee anderson, Condé Nast Traveler, "Stepping Beyond Cartagena: Exploring Colombia's Northern Reaches," 21 Mar. 2018