squawk
Americanverb (used without object)
-
squawks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squawked,
past participle, past
-
squawking
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
squawks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
squawked,
past participle, past
-
squawking
present participle
noun
-
squawks
plural
-
a loud, harsh cry or sound.
-
Informal. a loud, vehement complaint.
-
the black-crowned night heron. night heron
noun
-
a loud raucous cry; screech
-
informal a loud complaint or protest
verb
-
to utter a squawk or with a squawk
-
informal (intr) to complain loudly
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
squawksimple
-
squawkssimple
-
have squawkedperfect
-
has squawkedperfect
-
am squawkingprogressive
-
are squawkingprogressive
-
is squawkingprogressive
-
have been squawkingperfect progressive
-
has been squawkingperfect progressive
Past
-
squawkedsimple
-
had squawkedperfect
-
was squawkingprogressive
-
were squawkingprogressive
-
had been squawkingperfect progressive
Future
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Unit 1, Words to Know
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
“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
But Mitchell is a team player, so in the end, Rapaport survives to squawk another day and probably complain about life’s unfairness over that evening’s pasta buffet.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 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
The crickets and cicadas make a ceaseless, deafening buzz, coyotes cry mournfully in the distance, songbirds cheep and squawk at the first hint of dawn.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
"The office cubicle has trapped me again," he squawks on a rambunctious synth-driven stomper that's equal parts Kraftwerk and The Kaiser Chiefs.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
We also passed dense stands of thick-leaved yerba santa, California buckwheat, sugar bush and chilicothe vines and we were treated to the squawks of California scrub jays and a red-tail hawk flying overhead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
A laptop on the center console dings like a supermarket scanner every time license-plate readers attached to the truck capture another car’s tag—and the computer squawks when it spots a possible repo candidate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2025
Here, it’s called Stickipoo — and if its robotic squawks and light-saber glow appear on loan from George Lucas, that’s only fair.
From New York Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
Some would fly to the ranger and mutter at him, and it seemed to Bran that he understood their quorks and squawks.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Some of them squawked about the slush fund in ways that took me by surprise.
From Slate ● Jun. 9, 2026
Parrots and macaws that had outlived their owners squawked in a giant aviary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Molting peacocks squawked in the distance and a Pacific breeze whispered through the eucalyptus as flamingo keeper Liz Gibbons tidied her station at the San Francisco Zoo.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2025
Instead, the backing track squawked for a second and then dead air filled the room, with nary a patriotic chord to be heard.
From Salon ● Jan. 21, 2025
And when the robot rushed toward him, Brightbill squawked, “Stay back!” and scrambled away.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
A raven in Colorado once lured two curious biologists deep into the woods with squawking alarm calls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
In the ocean-side city of Gloucester, about an hour north of Boston, the sharp smell of salt air has been undercut by the lingering funk of rotting garbage, and squawking seagulls circle overhead.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2025
Massive winter waves exploded against rocks, sea lions barked and squawking gulls joined the symphony.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 28, 2024
Massry runs from the front of the store to the back, walkie-talkie on his waist squawking as employees request help at the registers.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2024
Strange squawking sounds come from the trees above.
From "Dragons in a Bag" by Zetta Elliott
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.
