squib

[ skwib ]

/ skwɪb /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: squib / squibbed / squibbing on Thesaurus.com

noun

a short and witty or sarcastic saying or writing.

Journalism. a short news story, often used as a filler.

a small firework, consisting of a tube or ball filled with powder, that burns with a hissing noise terminated usually by a slight explosion.

a firecracker broken in the middle so that it burns with a hissing noise but does not explode.

Australian. a coward.

an electric, pyrotechnic device for firing the igniter of a rocket engine, especially a solid-propellant engine.

Obsolete. a mean or paltry fellow.

verb (used without object), squibbed, squib·bing.

to write squibs.

to shoot a squib.

to explode with a small, sharp sound.

to move swiftly and irregularly.

Australian.

to be afraid.
to flee; escape.

verb (used with object), squibbed, squib·bing.

to assail in squibs or lampoons.

to toss, shoot, or utilize as a squib.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of squib

First recorded in 1515–25; origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM squib

squibbish, adjective

Words nearby squib

squeeze through, squeezy, squeg, squelch, squeteague, squib, Squibb, squib kick, squid, squidgy, squiffed

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use squib in a sentence

“Active” search nodes depend on noise sources that can be as simple as an explosive squib.
Tomorrow’s Stealthy Subs Could Sink America’s Navy|Bill Sweetman|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A squib or two enforced edicts; a rocket set a constitution squarely on its feet.
The Terms of Surrender|Louis Tracy
He'll go off like a squib: and then he'll smoulder acridly and sceptically even against his own fire.
Sea and Sardinia|D. H. Lawrence
Rowlandson has taken the idea and fitted it to the purpose of an electioneering squib.
Rowlandson the Caricaturist. First Volume|Joseph Grego

Such love must come to disaster; it is like a damp squib, it is never properly alight and fades out swiftly in noisy splutters.
Women's Wild Oats|C. Gasquoine Hartley
I told Arthur to leave out the former squib or paragraph and use only the Californian's Story.
The Letters Of Mark Twain, Volume 4, 1886-1900|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

British Dictionary definitions for squib

squib

/ (skwɪb) /

noun

a firework, usually having a tube filled with gunpowder, that burns with a hissing noise and culminates in a small explosion

a firework that does not explode because of a fault; dud

a short witty attack; lampoon

an electric device for firing a rocket engine

obsolete an insignificant person

Australian and NZ slang a coward

damp squib something intended but failing to impress

verb squibs, squibbing or squibbed

(intr) to sound, move, or explode like a squib

(intr) to let off or shoot a squib

to write a squib against (someone)

(intr) to move in a quick irregular fashion

(intr) Australian slang to behave in a cowardly fashion

Word Origin for squib

C16: probably imitative of a quick light explosion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

squib

Origin of squib

OTHER WORDS FROM squib

Words nearby squib

Words related to squib

How to use squib in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for squib

Word Origin for squib