noun
squeal
skweel
noun
1
A loud, high-pitched cry or sound.
"The children let out a squeal of delight on the rollercoaster."
"The brakes gave a squeal as the car came to a stop."
verb
1
To make a loud, high-pitched cry, often from excitement, pain, or fear.
"She squealed when she saw the surprise party."
2
Informal: to inform on someone, especially to the police.
"One of the gang squealed to the cops to avoid a longer sentence."
How to Use Squeal
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA shrill cry — or, informally, to snitch on someone.
Common mistake
The "inform on someone" sense is slang and mainly used in crime contexts; don't use it in formal writing.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
squeal on someone
squeal with delight
squeal in pain
Word Forms
squealed past tense, squeals plural, squeals singular
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The children let out a _____ of delight on the rollercoaster.
Etymology
From Middle English squelen, likely from Old Norse skvala, "to squeal or bawl."