1
as in storms
a disturbance of the atmosphere accompanied by wind and often by precipitation (as rain or snow)
a snow squall is expected tonight
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in commotions
a state of noisy, confused activity
the annual squall created when the store holds its biggest sale of the year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shrieks
to cry out loudly and emotionally
the baby squalled in pain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of squalls
Fred Bear, Outdoor Life, 11 June 2026
The latter, in particular, braids the bittersweet melodies of anorak-sporting vintage twee with ear-bleeding country-grunge that evokes Meat Puppets’ heaviest squalls.
—Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
Political squalls are far easier to shrug off than Britain’s long-term economic problems.
—John Stepek, Bloomberg, 20 Apr. 2026
It’s kept me dry during surprise squalls, summer storms, and more.
—Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026
Fog rolls in off the sea, rain clouds form against the steep volcanic slopes and squalls appear without warning.
—NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
These squalls can lead to sudden spinouts and chain-reaction crashes because road conditions deteriorate rapidly.
—Joe Ruch, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Snow squalls are intense winter weather events often associated with strong cold fronts.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2026
Winter weather is firmly in place across South Dakota, where heavy snow squalls can create sharp differences in accumulation.
—Brandi D. Addison, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 16 Jan. 2026
Mark Johanson, Outside, 14 Mar. 2026
The workweek is followed by an Arctic cold front with snow showers and squalls likely late Friday before the bottom falls out once again, which brings us to the weekend.
—Bill Kelly, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Unlike longer-lasting snowstorms, squalls move fast and can catch drivers off guard, especially when roads appear mostly clear just moments before conditions deteriorate.
—Brandi D. Addison, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 13 Jan. 2026
Snow squalls in the Detroit area caused a number of car crashes on Interstate 75 on Monday, prompting the Michigan State Police to close the northbound highway and causing major backups for travelers.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 29 Dec. 2025
The surges of Arctic air will generate rounds of flurries and squalls in certain locations and may assist igniting storms with more widespread snow.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 3 Dec. 2025
Noun
Cold rain fell in an endless drizzle, broken only by harder squalls.
—Fred Bear, Outdoor Life, 11 June 2026
The latter, in particular, braids the bittersweet melodies of anorak-sporting vintage twee with ear-bleeding country-grunge that evokes Meat Puppets’ heaviest squalls.
—Colin Joyce, Pitchfork, 1 May 2026
Political squalls are far easier to shrug off than Britain’s long-term economic problems.
—John Stepek, Bloomberg, 20 Apr. 2026
It’s kept me dry during surprise squalls, summer storms, and more.
—Francesca Krempa, Travel + Leisure, 7 Apr. 2026
Fog rolls in off the sea, rain clouds form against the steep volcanic slopes and squalls appear without warning.
—NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
These squalls can lead to sudden spinouts and chain-reaction crashes because road conditions deteriorate rapidly.
—Joe Ruch, CBS News, 17 Feb. 2026
Snow squalls are intense winter weather events often associated with strong cold fronts.
—Kansas City Star Weather Bot, Kansas City Star, 16 Jan. 2026
Winter weather is firmly in place across South Dakota, where heavy snow squalls can create sharp differences in accumulation.
—Brandi D. Addison, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
My body went numb forging frigid rivers while hurricane-level squalls wicked moisture out of my eyes.
—Mark Johanson, Outside, 14 Mar. 2026
The workweek is followed by an Arctic cold front with snow showers and squalls likely late Friday before the bottom falls out once again, which brings us to the weekend.
—Bill Kelly, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
Unlike longer-lasting snowstorms, squalls move fast and can catch drivers off guard, especially when roads appear mostly clear just moments before conditions deteriorate.
—Brandi D. Addison, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 13 Jan. 2026
Snow squalls in the Detroit area caused a number of car crashes on Interstate 75 on Monday, prompting the Michigan State Police to close the northbound highway and causing major backups for travelers.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 29 Dec. 2025
The surges of Arctic air will generate rounds of flurries and squalls in certain locations and may assist igniting storms with more widespread snow.
—Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 3 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squalls
Noun
-
Damaging wind gusts potentially topping 75 mph will take over as the main threat later Wednesday night, with individual storms expected to merge into cohesive lines from eastern Kansas first and eventually expand to western Ohio.—
Mary Gilbert,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
-
The storms are expected to move quickly, at approximately 50 miles per hour or greater.—
Albert Ramon,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Over the past year, men’s ski jumping has been marred by Norway’s cheating scandal and more recent genital manipulation rumors, which has become one of the early commotions of the Milano-Cortina Games.—
Sara Germano,
Sportico.com,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Back in the car, Albert moans and groans while Billie shrieks in panic.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
About 100,000 thunderstorms rumble across the United States each year, but just 10% intensify into a severe thunderstorm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.—
Chris Dolce,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Those supporters were left unchallenged by stewards, despite FIFA winning a court hearing enabling them to lawfully prohibit people showing the lion-and-sun flags on the grounds of them carrying a political message and potentially causing disturbances.—
Henry Bushnell,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
Hayes pointed to a 17-year-old who was shot during last year's fireworks, along with recent youth disturbances across the region.—
Elaine Rojas-Castillo,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Soto’s Marie pouts and squeals with abandon.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026
-
At bars across the United States, live watch parties were packed, squeals resounding.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Refrigerated pie crust helps this pie come together with just a few stirs of the whisk.—
Patricia S York,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nothing screams summer like a big, boisterous, campy musical.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
-
Mariska Hargitay screams with excitement when the New York Knicks defeat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals Game 4 in New York City on June 10.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squalls.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squalls. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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