squeak
Americannoun
-
squeaks
plural
-
a short, sharp, shrill cry; a sharp, high-pitched sound.
-
Informal. opportunity; chance.
their last squeak to correct the manuscript.
-
an escape from defeat, danger, death, or destruction (usually qualified by narrow orclose ).
verb (used without object)
-
squeaks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squeaked,
past participle, past
-
squeaking
present participle
-
to utter or emit a squeak or squeaky sound.
-
Slang. to confess or turn informer; squeal.
verb (used with object)
-
squeaks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squeaked,
past participle, past
-
squeaking
present participle
verb phrase
noun
-
a short shrill cry or high-pitched sound
-
informal an escape (esp in the phrases narrow squeak , near squeak )
verb
-
to make or cause to make a squeak
-
(intr; usually foll by through or by) to pass with only a narrow margin
to squeak through an examination
-
informal (intr) to confess information about oneself or another
-
(tr) to utter with a squeak
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
squeaksimple
-
squeakssimple
-
have squeakedperfect
-
has squeakedperfect
-
am squeakingprogressive
-
are squeakingprogressive
-
is squeakingprogressive
-
have been squeakingperfect progressive
-
has been squeakingperfect progressive
Past
-
squeakedsimple
-
had squeakedperfect
-
was squeakingprogressive
-
were squeakingprogressive
-
had been squeakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of squeak
1350–1400; Middle English squeken, perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Swedish skväka to croak
Explanation
To squeak is to make a high, short sound. Your hungry pet mice squeak for food, and your creaky old wood floors squeak when you walk across them. A door with rusty hinges will squeak when you open it, and your own voice may squeak when you're nervous. There are also the squeaks that small animals make, and the squeak that means "any communication," like when you don't hear a squeak from your next door neighbor for so long you wonder if he moved away. Informally, to "squeak by" or "squeak through" means to just barely achieve something, by a narrow margin.
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.
See Examples For:
Grunting may be the lingua franca of Bos grunniens, but they also harrumph, bellow and squeak, and calves occasionally meep.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026
A wild possum joined stuffed furry friends in an Australian airport gift shop this week, surprising travellers in an adorable case of hide and squeak.
From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026
Despite his size, he dunks so rarely that when he actually does manage to squeak the ball over the rim, the Denver bench goes absolutely bonkers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 3, 2025
He is buoyant and thinks that in a tight tussle with Reform UK, he can squeak a win.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2025
Neither stymied nor frustrated, the owl’s eyes grew a half size bigger and she let out a squeak of excitement.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
When the axle squeaks, as is happening in the 14th yet again, the rest of Los Angeles should watch out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
Diving beneath a white cathedral of ice, I could hear the shrill whistles, honks, and squeaks of harp seals.
From National Geographic ● Jan. 23, 2024
The exact purpose of these ear squeaks is unclear, but Groh's initial hunch is that it might help sharpen people's perception.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 22, 2023
And a penned flock of white-feathered hens emitted tiny, intermittent squeaks, an asynchronous symphony of chicken sneezes.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2022
Even the fifth-grade regulars are surprised by Miss Garcia’s nervous squeaks.
From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
I've not been impressed by Belgium, who squeaked their way to finish top of what was a pretty weak group.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Missile defense systems have intercepted the majority of missiles and drones, but those that have squeaked through are wreaking havoc External link.
From Barron's ● Mar. 4, 2026
The same day, the S&P 500 squeaked by with a 24.74-point, or almost 0.4%, gain that sent it to 6,796.29, for its best daily performance in a week.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026
It’s Eghbal — or “Peg Leg,” a nickname in honor of his prosthetic leg that squeaked whenever he moved.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
Gum Baby squeaked, scrambled up the statue, and hastily clapped a sticky hand over its mouth, shushing the indignant copper girl doorbell.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
The tiny puppy, barely bigger than a football, is gently squeaking from inside a large cage where she is joined by a half-chewed fizzy drinks bottle and an array of dog toys.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
“Wuthering Heights” begins with a slowly intensifying squeaking noise, bellowing out over a blank black frame.
From Salon ● Feb. 14, 2026
Since Friday, investors have been moving back toward tech and other riskier assets, but with the Dow squeaking toward a record, it shows they aren’t abandoning things either.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
A sweet moron, but a moron nonetheless, which is evident as soon as Pattinson starts squeaking banalities in a nasal gasp that sounds as though he’s never gotten enough oxygen to his brain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2025
I rise again and push the empty cart back down the aisle, the wheels squeaking across the carpet.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
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.
