Nearby words
Origin of squeak
1350–1400; Middle English squeken, perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Swedish skväka to croak
Related formssqueak·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for squeak by
squeak
/ (skwiːk) /
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 marginto squeak through an examination
(intr) informal to confess information about oneself or another
(tr) to utter with a squeak
Derived Formssqueaker, nounsqueaky, adjectivesqueakily, adverbsqueakiness, noun
Word Origin for squeak
C17: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish skväka to croak
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for squeak by
squeak
late 14c., probably of imitative origin, similar to Middle Swedish skväka "to squeak, croak." Related: Squeaked; squeaking. The noun is from 1660s; sense of "narrow escape" is from 1822.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with squeak by
squeak by
Also, squeak through. Manage barely to pass, win, survive, or the like, as in They are just squeaking by on their income, or He squeaked through the driver's test. This idiom transfers squeak in the sense of “barely emit a sound” to “narrowly manage something.” [First half of 1900s] Also see squeeze through.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
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