1
as in to talk
to give information (as to the authorities) about another's improper or unlawful activities
that stool pigeon squealed to the police about the whole smuggling operation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
3
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
hoped that a DVD player in the backseat would keep the kids from squealing about long car rides
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of squeal
Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Visceral sounds of gyaaaaaaa (ギャアアアアア) convey squealing tires, while turbo blow-off valves let out a sweet doa (ドア).
—Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 9 Apr. 2026
Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026
The whinny is an unusual combination of both high and low-pitched sounds — like a cross between a grunt and a squeal — that come out at the same time.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for squeal
Verb
The adults settle into seats facing each other while children from different families run behind them, squealing, playing, crying.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 26 Apr. 2026
Visceral sounds of gyaaaaaaa (ギャアアアアア) convey squealing tires, while turbo blow-off valves let out a sweet doa (ドア).
—Caleb Jacobs, The Drive, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
Mary Lattimore’s harp spangles the background, while Camille Getz drags her violin across the track, a clever acoustic rendering of a classic shoegaze guitar squeal.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 11 Mar. 2026
The whinny is an unusual combination of both high and low-pitched sounds — like a cross between a grunt and a squeal — that come out at the same time.
—Adithi Ramakrishnan, Los Angeles Times, 24 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for squeal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squeal
Verb
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Yousef Miller, a member of the North County Equity and Justice Coalition, was out on Buchanan Street on Monday, talking with people who pulled over to ask what had happened to Sheron.—
Caleb Lunetta,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2026
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On Morrison For the launch of Ohio’s year-long, state-wide celebration of Toni Morrison, Namwali Serpell flies to Columbus to talk with poet and essayist Hanif Abdurraqib.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Verb
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But in the early days of the Maniacs, everyone swears that Merchant was a shrieking dervish during shows, exorcising her teenage demons on the stage of every bar in the Rust Belt.—
Dan Kois,
Pitchfork,
17 May 2026
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While peacocks have roamed the streets of Los Angeles County for more than a century, officials in 2021 moved to ban people from feeding them after reports of the birds shrieking in the night and damaging property.—
Amarachi Orie,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Ultimately, people are probably going to complain irrespective of what decisions are made about the graduation ceremony.—
Marshall Shepherd,
Forbes.com,
24 May 2026
-
In 2011, former members complained to the archdiocese in Peru’s capital, Lima, about abuses by its founder, Luis Figari.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 May 2026
Noun
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Native to North America, eastern screech-owls are mostly gray, reddish-brown or brown with yellow eyes, according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
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This causes a blast of high-energy radiation called a gamma-ray burst (GRB), a final screech of gravitational waves, and sends out a spray of neutron-rich matter, which allows a process to occur that generates very heavy but unstable elements.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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If the puck squeaked through, Hall may have connected with Jackson Blake for a breakaway attempt, so some credit to Guhle is due.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
24 May 2026
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The franchise’s last movie, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, was pilloried by critics and fans, though still managed to squeak past the $1 billion mark globally (people wanted to see how the Skywalker Saga story concluded, but were decidedly unimpressed with the result).—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Verb
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In the seventh, after his 504th and final pitch of May, Sánchez screamed.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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Her ears rang as her husband, now several meters away, screamed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
On May 16, firefighters at Station 8 heard a dog whining outside and went to investigate.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 May 2026
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Aronimink put the world’s best golfers in a vice this week and squeezed the whines right out of them.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
18 May 2026
Noun
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He was missed — especially vocally — since Gill’s angelic voice does not, in any way shape or form, resemble Walsh’s charmingly out-of-pitch squawk-talk style.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Toy keyboard plinks and saxophone squawks spiral over a booming racket of drums in the ether, slyly threatening to collapse, like an elaborate plate-spinning act.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squeal. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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