squeak

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈskwiːk/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/skwik/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(skwēk)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
squeak /skwik/USA pronunciation   n. [countable]
  1. Animal Behaviora sharp, shrill cry or sound:Her voice rose to a squeak as she protested.
  2. an escape from danger, defeat, etc.:a close squeak with death.

v. 
  1. Animal Behaviorto make or express (a squeak): [no object]The door squeaks every time you open it.[used with quotations]"I'm afraid,'' he squeaked, ''What do we do next?''
  2. squeak by or through, [no object] to succeed, survive, etc., by a very narrow margin:We managed to squeak by even though our budget had been cut.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
squeak (skwēk),USA pronunciation  n. 
  1. Animal Behaviora short, sharp, shrill cry;
    a sharp, high-pitched sound.
  2. Informal Termsopportunity;
    chance:their last squeak to correct the manuscript.
  3. an escape from defeat, danger, death, or destruction (usually qualified by narrow or close).

v.i. 
  1. Animal Behaviorto utter or emit a squeak or squeaky sound.
  2. Slang Termsto confess or turn informer;
    squeal.

v.t. 
  1. to utter or sound with a squeak or squeaks.
  2. squeak by or through, to succeed, survive, pass, win, etc., by a very narrow margin:They can barely squeak by on their income. The team managed to squeak through.
  • Scandinavian; compare Swedish skväka to croak
  • Middle English squeken, perh. 1350–1400
squeak′ing•ly, adv. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
squeak /skwiːk/ n
  1. a short shrill cry or high-pitched sound
  2. informal an escape (esp in the phrases narrow squeak, near squeak)
 vb
  1. to make or cause to make a squeak
  2. (intr; usually followed by through or by) to pass with only a narrow margin: to squeak through an examination
  3. (intransitive) informal to confess information about oneself or another
  4. (transitive) to utter with a squeak
Etymology: 17th Century: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish skväka to croakˈsqueaky adj ˈsqueakily adv ˈsqueakiness n
'squeak' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
bubble and squeak - pipsqueak - squeaky-clean - peep - pika - pistol - squeaker - squeaky - squeeze
Collocations: the [door, window] made a squeak when it was [opened, closed], use [grease, a spray] to fix the squeak, let out a squeak of [pain, joy, surprise, protest], more...

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