squawk
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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a loud, harsh cry or sound.
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Informal. a loud, vehement complaint.
-
the black-crowned night heron. night heron
noun
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a loud raucous cry; screech
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informal a loud complaint or protest
verb
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to utter a squawk or with a squawk
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informal (intr) to complain loudly
Other Word Forms
- squawker noun
Etymology
Origin of squawk
Explanation
To squawk is to make a harsh screech, like the sound that a large bird might make. Your pet parrot might squawk until you give her treats to nibble on. The imitative word squawk first appeared in the 1800s, and around 1945, the term squawk box began to be used informally to mean "intercom or loudspeaker." Today, that term is primarily used by investors and brokers to mean "an intercom used to communicate stock deals." In addition to being the sound of an irritated bird, a squawk is also a complaint: "All he does is squawk about how hard his new job is."
Vocabulary lists containing squawk
Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
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We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
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Unit 1, Words to Know
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Stay on That” is one of the slinkier numbers on the album, with rapidly strummed guitars and a wah-wah squawk that recalls Isaac Hayes’s “Theme From Shaft.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
The plane transmitted a 7700 squawk code - which are broadcast to tell air traffic control that there is an emergency and the aircraft needs priority handling.
From BBC • Aug. 6, 2025
It seems as if everything you’ve described about this class certification is just obviously correct, and I’m trying to figure out what the DOJ is going to squawk about.
From Slate • Jul. 11, 2025
When Roman blurts out that Logan's gone, handing Shiv the phone, her tearful squawk is heartrending.
From Salon • Apr. 10, 2023
So I take a cloth and try and wipe him down, but I squawk every time that wiry hair touches my hand.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
