squeal

1 of 2

verb

squealed; squealing; squeals

intransitive verb

1
: to make a shrill cry or noise
2
a
: to turn informer
squeal to the police

transitive verb

1
: to express with or as if with a squeal
2
: to cause to make a loud shrill noise
squealing the tires
squealer noun

squeal

2 of 2

noun

: a shrill sharp cry or noise

Example Sentences

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
After dosing their class with special mushrooms at a school dinner, Drea and Eleanor look over their work and squeal with glee. Katherine Singh, refinery29.com, 19 Sep. 2022 Maybe Arkansas fans are quick to squeal because of something that happened decades ago. San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Sep. 2022 Sadly, its all-season tires squeal under less duress, and brake-pedal responses are inconsistent the harder it's worked. Eric Stafford, Car and Driver, 30 Aug. 2022 With realistic details inside and out, working head and tail lights, and a controller that can be easily operated by small hands, kids will squeal with delight over this mini Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 4 Aug. 2022 Kids will squeal with joy going down the water slide with friends to see who gets to the bottom first. Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 20 May 2022 Children in seersucker suits, church dresses and all manner of gender-neutral Easter best will squeal with glee. Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2022 Hefner had a cache of tapes and videos of orgies and drug consumption to use in case anyone threatened to squeal, according to Theodore and others. Maria Puente, USA TODAY, 8 Feb. 2022 What did people connect to, squeal over and smash, as the kids, say, that heart button for? Vogue, 23 Dec. 2021
Noun
Shumskyi waited for the telltale crack and squeal of the Stinger and then launched his missile at the Russian one now in the distance. Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 20 Oct. 2022 Gleeson wielded his lacerated hand around the set, spewing blood all over his co-stars in a way that blinded Day, made Chloe Fineman squeal, and cracked up Kenan Thompson. Amanda Wicks, The Atlantic, 9 Oct. 2022 Tire squeal sets in early, as does body roll and understeer. Joe Lorio, Car and Driver, 23 Sep. 2022 Eventually Thor or perhaps Zeus got bored flinging lightning bolts, and at 11:28 the 963 pulled away with an electric motor squeal—the bassy V8 only firing up at the end of the pit lane. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2022 Among them was Pierre Marie Rose, Francillon Makenson's wife, who let out a squeal of joy for her family of three. Rosa Flores And Julia Jones, CNN, 1 Sep. 2022 Finally, a loud, delighted squeal filled the hallway outside. Heather Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Aug. 2022 Yet, there wasn't a hint of protest from the engine, a drop of fade from the carbon-ceramic brakes, or a whimper of squeal from the tires – the Ultimae laughed off my punishment and challenged me for more. Michael Harley, Forbes, 4 July 2022 The row behind me let out an electric squeal, and the driver crackled over the loudspeaker, telling us to wave our acacia around outside the windows. Rowan Moore Gerety, The Atlantic, 18 May 2022 See More

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.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English squelen, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1747, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of squeal was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near squeal

Cite this Entry

“Squeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squeal. Accessed 16 Dec. 2022.

Kids Definition

squeal

1 of 2 verb
1
: to make a long shrill cry or noise
2
a
: inform sense 2
squealed to the teacher
3
: to utter with or as if with a squeal
squealer noun

squeal

2 of 2 noun
: a long shrill cry or noise

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