squeak
Americannoun
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squeaks
plural
-
a short, sharp, shrill cry; a sharp, high-pitched sound.
-
Informal. opportunity; chance.
their last squeak to correct the manuscript.
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an escape from defeat, danger, death, or destruction (usually qualified by narrow orclose ).
verb (used without object)
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squeaks,
present (3rd person singular)
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squeaked,
past participle, past
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squeaking
present participle
-
to utter or emit a squeak or squeaky sound.
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Slang. to confess or turn informer; squeal.
verb (used with object)
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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
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squeakssimple
-
have squeakedperfect
-
has squeakedperfect
-
am squeakingprogressive
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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:
They do not need to hurry anyone off the injured list so they can squeak out another National League West title.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
If there’s a severe drop in enthusiasm or an undervote, it might allow Hinojosa to squeak by.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
Maybe he can spend retirement time with Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, who also resigned last month under a scandal cloud, but who managed to squeak past the five-year-minimum necessary to collect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 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
I continued to squeak my heart out until I heard Mrs. Brisbane’s firm footsteps coming toward my cage.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
It doesn’t pull off the former but squeaks out the latter, largely due to Greer’s sincere performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 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
These included grunts, whimpers, laughter, screams, hoos, barks, squeaks, and pant hoots.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2023
“Breathe it out!” one dancer called out to several others as they roamed the stage amid the squeaks of sneakers and pounding stomps.
From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2022
There was a muffled argument, punctuated by squeaks, bumps and complaining remarks.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
The tech rally lost some steam Wednesday, but the three major indexes still squeaked out closing highs.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
He transformed a Brazil side who squeaked through qualifying into world beaters.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 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
But at 3-3, they might look more dangerous than they did all of last year, when they squeaked out a number of close wins before getting clobbered by the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2025
“Hi,” my voice squeaked as I awkwardly waved.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
After barely squeaking by Boise State in the season opener, they were upset on the road by Oklahoma State, which had previously lost 12 in a row.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
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
He knelt at Frodo’s feet, wringing his hands and squeaking.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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