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

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
Inside, the air is filled with the sound of snorting, grunting, squealing pigs and piglets. Rob Stein, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024 Nostalgic millennials the world over squealed when NSYNC reunited at the VMAs, but not everyone was thrilled with the timing of the boy band's return. Dustin Nelson, EW.com, 20 Sep. 2023 Eyewitness video posted by ABC News from the incident showed the lobby filled with smoke and debris with the sound of the car engine still running and tires squealing. Lawrence Yee, Peoplemag, 14 Feb. 2024 Every intersection is a chaos of squealing trams, cars, scooters, and pedestrians, each fighting for their slice of space. Kristina Kasparian, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2024 The two squealed and embraced when Lizzo presented the award to her longtime friend. Lisa Respers France, CNN, 4 Feb. 2024 With a few hours to spare, Friedrich and her husband roped squealing pigs and guided distressed horses into a trailer and hauled them out. Gabriel San Román, Los Angeles Times, 21 Dec. 2023 The government should stop them Jan. 24, 2023 Industry has predictably squealed like pigs on the way to the abattoir. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2023 The setting—glittering sea, brilliant sun, luxurious vessel, squealing water fights—could hardly offer a greater contrast to the chilly environs of Balmoral, with its dowdy, tweedy routine of heathland-stomping and fauna-murdering. Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 15 Nov. 2023
Noun
There are special wood duck calls tuned to make the higher squeals of wood ducks. Phil Bourjaily, Field & Stream, 15 Feb. 2024 Excited squeals erupted from Quinne Schillace after spotting a clear tent Sunday with cats pawing at blankets and toys inside. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 11 Feb. 2024 Credit: Ridgway et al., 2022 Dolphin Z catching sea snakes in the Pacific Ocean with head jerks and a victory squeal. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 1 Jan. 2023 Over queasy feedback that squeals like a zombie radio signal, Brown tosses off rhetorical bicycle kicks, rhymes Cool Runnings with Good Will Hunting, and cracks wise about out-of-service McDonald’s soft serve machines. Pitchfork, 11 Dec. 2023 As night falls on Napa, dangling lights illuminate the ice and music supplies the backdrop to squeals of delighted skaters. Rebecca Deurlein, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 There were quiet moments of coloring mermaids together, and others that induced squeals of delight, such as a massive cone of vanilla gelato sheathed in rainbow sprinkles at Anita Gelato in Manly. Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 12 Nov. 2023 Sounds and Ultra-Sounds of the Bottle-Nose Dolphin features extended passages of fairly mind-blowing gurgles, clicks, and squeals. Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2023 Ultrasonic squeaks and squeals are the top communication choice for bulldog bats, like this one identified in Equador. Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squeal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 28 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on squeal

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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