Word
squeal
US/ˈskwiɫ/
UK/skwˈiːl/
Definitions
01to make a high sound
v. to make a long, high-pitched cry or noise because of excitement, pain, or fear.
v. to utter a shrill, prolonged cry or sound, often as an expression of intense emotion or physical distress.
“The children began to squeal with delight when they saw the puppy.”
“The fans started to squeal as the lead singer walked toward the edge of the stage during the encore.”
02to inform on someone
v. to tell the police or someone in authority about something bad another person did.
v. to provide sensitive or incriminating information about an associate to a third party, typically the authorities.
“The thief was afraid his partner would squeal to the police to get a lighter sentence.”
“Under intense pressure from investigators, the low-level associate eventually agreed to squeal on the rest of the organisation in exchange for immunity.”
Informal · Slang
03a sharp noise
n. a short, high-pitched sound made by a person, an animal, or a machine.
n. a shrill, high-pitched vocalisation or mechanical sound.
“We heard a loud squeal from the car's brakes as it stopped suddenly.”
“A sharp squeal of feedback erupted from the speakers, forcing the audience to cover their ears in discomfort.”
Real-World Examples
“He sticks out his tongue and squeals with glee.” “T he other day I received a parcel in the post, and when I opened it, I squealed with pure glee.” Etymology
Inherited from Middle English squelen, probably from Old Norse skvala (“to squeal, bawl”), from Proto-Germanic skwel- (“to chatter, babble, scream”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European skel-, from *kelh₁- (“to ring, resound, cry”). Compare Old Norse skval (“a squeal”, noun), Swedish skvallra (“to babble, chatter, tell on”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/squeal