squeal

verb

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\ ˈskwēl

squealed; squealing; squeals

Definition of squeal

(Entry 1 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to make a shrill cry or noise

2a : to turn informer squeal to the police

b : complain, protest

transitive verb

1 : to express with or as if with a squeal

2 : to cause to make a loud shrill noise squealing the tires

squeal

noun

Definition of squeal (Entry 2 of 2)

: a shrill sharp cry or noise

Other Words from squeal Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About squeal

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Synonyms for squeal

Synonyms: Verb

fink,
grass (on)
[British slang],
inform,
rat (on),
sing,
snitch,
split (on)
[British],
squeak,
talk,
tell (on)

Examples of squeal in a Sentence

Verb The car squealed to a stop. He squealed the tires and drove off. She squealed to the teacher. “Let me go,” she squealed. Noun She heard the pig's squeals.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The truck then backed out of Fleharty and accelerated eastbound on Lorain Road causing the truck’s tires to squeal. — Bruce Geiselman, cleveland, 22 May 2021 This may be the smallest commuter in the Hyundai lineup, but the Accent is still light enough to be fun to drive and quick enough to make the tires squeal. — Car and Driver, 23 Apr. 2021 With disc brakes, use latex gloves to handle pads and rotors, because skin oils can contaminate braking surfaces and make your brakes squeal. — Joe Lindsey, Outside Online, 29 Mar. 2021 Few things put a smile on Lucille’s face, and Walter remembers feeling pretty giddy about getting to squeal for Gene Parmesan’s fantastically horrible disguises. — Denise Martin, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2021 Or that which is safest of all, a creature to confide in, to squeal at and touch, who will sit there and take it, be ours to command—a cat, a dog. — Jason Kehe, Wired, 18 Jan. 2021 Your web site is asking & advising Iowans to squeal on restaurant & bar owners for non compliance with your new COVID orders. — Kerry Picket, Washington Examiner, 23 Nov. 2020 But turn-in is dull, and the tires squeal even at responsible street speeds. — Dave Vanderwerp, Car and Driver, 24 Sep. 2020 The latter’s squealing every morning served as my wake-up call. — Dallas News, 4 May 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The only thing that reverberated off the walls were the echoes of a squeal when a teacher felt the raw egg ooze out of its shell. — Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 8 June 2021 Jack fights a pigeon — his greatest enemy — and reveals a squeal one might never have suspected to come out of our mustachioed baritone. — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 26 May 2021 Aside from a squeal-inducing trip down memory lane for anyone who grew up in the Brat Pack era, Andrew McCarthy's Brat: An '80s Story is a surprisingly, and refreshingly, honest memoir. — Simon Thompson, Forbes, 11 May 2021 If the audience effect is driven by predation, then the researchers would expect to see more of the whisperlike flutter call when fighters are alone and the ready-to-rumble squeal when other birds are present. — Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 6 May 2021 Former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake could not stop the tears when her daughter, Sophia Blake, popped up from her seat in front of a computer and let out a gleeful squeal. — John-john Williams Iv, baltimoresun.com, 26 Apr. 2021 One of the lawmakers let out a squeal as the guilty verdict was announced. — Susan Ferrechio, Washington Examiner, 20 Apr. 2021 The squeal of children hanging onto a spinning merry go round at a nearby playground broke the lunchtime calm. — Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2021 The word hyperpop does nail the way that the music swirls together and speeds up Top 40 tricks of present and past: a Janet Jackson drum slam here, a Depeche Mode synth squeal there, the overblown pep of novelty jingles throughout. — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'squeal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.