squawk

verb

\ ˈskwȯk

How to pronounce squawk (audio)

\

squawked; squawking; squawks

Definition of squawk

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to utter a harsh abrupt scream

2 : to complain or protest loudly or vehemently opponents of the bill squawked

squawk

noun

Definition of squawk (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a harsh abrupt scream

2 : a noisy complaint

Other Words from squawk Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about squawk

Keep scrolling for more

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Intent on protecting her young, the Mooseheart eagle squawked at the interloper and chased him away. — Nara Schoenberg, chicagotribune.com, "A tale of lost love, mistaken identity, courageous single parenting — and bald eagles," 18 June 2019 Unfortunately, morning on the river starts before sunrise, when the boatmen fire up the outboards and the hornbills start squawking and the rustle of leaves hints at the primates feeding in the canopy. — Paul Brady, Condé Nast Traveler, "Want Serious Bragging Rights? Do a Road Trip Across Borneo," 16 Nov. 2018 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Since chicken coops seem to be the squawk of the town, options are really limitless. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "These "Chicken Coop Mansions" Look Like Guest Houses," 21 May 2019 Hardly a few seconds go by without a bit punctuated by a clip from a popular song or a cartoonish squawk or some other audio accent. — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, "How Carrot Top Wins in Vegas (Yes, He Can Be Funny)," 6 May 2018 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

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.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about squawk

Dictionary Entries near squawk

squaw huckleberry

squawking thrush

Statistics for squawk

Last Updated

25 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for squawk

The first known use of squawk was in 1821

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for squawk

squawk

verb

English 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

noun

Kids Definition of squawk (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a harsh short cry

2 : a noisy complaint

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

gritty

showing courage and determination

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ