squeal

\ ˈskwēl

How to pronounce squeal (audio)

\

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

Definition of squeal (Entry 2 of 2)

: a shrill sharp cry or noise

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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 latter’s squealing every morning served as my wake-up call. — Dallas News, "Beyond Yosemite: Four state parks to seek out off the beaten vacation path," 4 May 2020 Shortly after Badgett's test was completed, a young child could be heard squealing, then crying in the backseat of an SUV nearby after nurses administered a screening. — Grace Schneider, The Courier-Journal, "Doctor's orders: Get your COVID-19 test, then come in for your delayed procedure," 4 May 2020 The cat squealed as it was being thrown, and a thud could be heard. — Janelle Griffith, NBC News, "California commissioner resigns after he threw a cat during Zoom meeting," 28 Apr. 2020 With each smirk, giggle or squeal, a piece of my soul returned. Her smile became our caffeine. — Lindzi Scharf, Los Angeles Times, "I’m the mother of a toddler. This is why I no longer live in fear.," 10 Apr. 2020 Individual voices — chanting, ululating, cracking, squealing, howling — gradually emerge over speakers, as does a soft, smooth choral harmony underneath. — Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, "Review: An Opera Erases and Rewrites the American Myth," 9 Mar. 2020 Young women squeal as an athletic young man in form-fitting gray pants with pink stripes runs onto the stage and faces them with a huge smile. — John Blake, CNN, "Why Christian music's biggest stars refuse to change their tune for the Trump era," 15 Oct. 2019 In Zao, where Japanese kids usually squeal over ‘snow monsters’ created by sticky downfalls that cover trees, there are few to be found. — Peter Elstrom, Bloomberg.com, "Japan's Ski Areas Are Having Their Worst Winter in Decades," 29 Apr. 2020 Subway trains clattered along their tracks, their doors squealing open to disgorge crowds of passengers. — Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, "‘If you don’t work you don’t eat’: Where lockdowns have extra sting," 20 Apr. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun On the other hand, English, Spanish, and Croatian chose pigs’ high-pitched, excited, or angry squeals as their identifying vocalization, and thus pigs say oink, oinc, and squick, respectively, in these languages. — Melissa Mohr, The Christian Science Monitor, "Animal noises sound different in other languages," 21 May 2020 But the cheery faces of the children and their delightful squeals are a temporary illusion. — Arwa Damon And Gul Tuysuz, CNN, "No can protect these Syrian kids from the bombs. This group is at least trying to give them the skills to cope," 11 Mar. 2020 Bear in mind that the tire squeal happens despite the Turbo S's standard all-wheel-drive system. — Tony Quiroga, Car and Driver, "2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S Reminds Us What Fast Feels Like," 7 Apr. 2020 The happy squeals ringing through the phone showed the kids certainly didn't seem to notice the pandemic even if their parents were planning for it. — Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, "'God is bigger than this.' How Louisville is adjusting to a 'new normal' amid coronavirus," 17 Mar. 2020 The boisterous hollers of fishmongers tossing whole salmon to one another and the squeals of delighted tourists watching them work no longer echo through the arcade. — New York Times, "No Crowds. No Flying Fish. Coronavirus Empties Pike Place Market.," 31 Mar. 2020 There were squeals and screeches and lots of giggles. — USA Today, "Cooped-up kids navigate a strange new play space," 24 Mar. 2020 Then every movement of the game, the strategies, the dodging and feints, the squeal of sneakers on the court. — The Economist, "Love story Kobe Bryant died on January 26th," 1 Feb. 2020 At the start of the fitting, Ms. Feldstein and Ms. Walsh stared at the dress on the hanger in awe and let out twin squeals of delight. — Sanam Yar, New York Times, "Beanie Feldstein’s Oscars Look," 9 Feb. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

3 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Squeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squeal. Accessed 9 Jul. 2020.

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More Definitions for squeal

squeal

verb

English Language Learners Definition of squeal

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to make or cause (something) to make a long, high-pitched cry or noise

informal + disapproving : to tell someone in authority (such as the police or a teacher) about something wrong that someone has done

: to say (something) in a high and excited voice

squeal

noun

English Language Learners Definition of squeal (Entry 2 of 2)

: a long, high-pitched cry or noise

See the full definition for squeal in the English Language Learners Dictionary

squeal

\ ˈskwēl

\

squealed; squealing

Kids Definition of squeal

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to make a sharp long high-pitched cry or noise

2 : inform sense 2

squeal

Kids Definition of squeal (Entry 2 of 2)

: a sharp high-pitched cry or noise

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