squeak

1 of 2

verb

ˈskwēk 

squeaked; squeaking; squeaks

intransitive verb

1

: to utter or make a short shrill cry or noise

2

: squeal sense 2a

3

: to pass, succeed, or win by a narrow margin

just squeaked by in the election

transitive verb

: to utter in a shrill piping tone

squeak

2 of 2

noun

1

: a sharp shrill cry or sound

2

: escape

a close squeak

squeaky

ˈskwē-kē 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb

• fink
• grass (on) [British slang]
• inform
• rat (on)
• sing
• snitch
• split (on) [British]
• squeal
• talk
• tell (on)

Examples of squeak in a Sentence

Verb

I could hear the mouse squeaking.

She squeaked when I pinched her.

My shoes squeak when I walk.

The wheel squeaks when it turns.

He squeaked into office by fewer than 2,000 votes.

“I can't believe it!” she squeaked.

Noun

She gave out a squeak.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Despite that, Hunter barely squeaked out a victory after receiving 552 first-place votes and a total of 2,231 points. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 15 Dec. 2024

West Haven squeaked by Glastonbury 6-0 in the snow in the quarterfinal then beat Fairfield Prep in a rematch in the Class LL semifinal game. —Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 14 Dec. 2024

Noun

And on Thursday night, Ken Carter was one of about two dozen people inside a basketball gym, where the only signs a game was taking place were the squeaks of sneakers and four buzzers to signal the end of each quarter. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 13 Dec. 2024

There’s no dialogue, at least none decipherable to human ears — everything is a symphony of meows, woofs, squawks, grunts, squeaks, squeals and simian cries. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English squeken, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing squeak

• bubble and squeak
• pip-squeak

Kids Definition

squeak

1 of 2 verb

ˈskwēk 

1

: to make a short shrill cry or noise

2

: to pass, succeed, or win by a narrow margin

barely squeaked by

3

: to utter in a shrill tone

squeak

2 of 2 noun

1

: a sharp shrill cry or sound

2

: escape entry 2 sense 1

a close squeak