Meaning

3 senses

  1. (ambitransitive)To scream with a shrill, prolonged sound.

    The children squealed with delight while opening their Christmas presents.

    kreischen, quieken

    визжа́тьvizžátʹ, вереща́тьvereščátʹ

  2. To make a squealing noise. (of an object)

    The brakes squeal terribly.

  3. (intransitive, slang)To give sensitive information about someone to a third party; to rat on someone.

    You'd better not squeal on me to the cops.

    singen, petzen

    стуча́тьstučátʹ, доноси́тьdonosítʹ

More definitions
  • utter a high-pitched cry, characteristic of pigs
  • confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure

Examples

32 sentences

  1. Tom tickled Mary until she squealed.

    ruТом щекотал Мэри, пока она не завизжала.

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  2. The children squealed with joy.

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  3. Tom squealed with laughter.

    ruТом визжал от смеха.

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  4. I'm going to make you squeal.

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  5. Daniel could only squeal with happiness.

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Translations

6 languages
Русский
By meaning 2
to scream a high-pitched squeal:
to rat on someone:
Deutsch
By meaning 2
to scream a high-pitched squeal:
to rat on someone:

Origin

Inherited from Middle English squelen, probably from Old Norse skvala (“to squeal, bawl”),

Inherited from Middle English squelen, probably from Old Norse skvala (“to squeal, bawl”), from Proto-Germanic *skwel- (“to chatter, babble, scream”), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *skel-, from *kelh₁- (“to ring, resound, cry”). Compare Old Norse skval (“a squeal”, noun), Swedish skvallra (“to babble, chatter, tell on”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

squeals, squealing, squealed, squealed
Base formsqueal · to squeal
3rd person singularsqueals
Present participlesquealing
Past simplesquealed
Past participlesquealed

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theysqueal
he, she, itsqueals

Past simpleLesson

all personssquealed

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave squealed
he, she, ithas squealed

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill squeal

Synonyms

6 synonyms
to rat on someone:informB1
grass upsnitch
Close in meaning
  • utter a high-pitched cry, characteristic of pigs:oink
  • confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure:confessfink

Word family

7 related words
Relatedsquealer
Derivedasquealpig squealsquealdomsquealinglysqueal onsquealy

Lessons for this word

3 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
squawksqueaksqueakysquealersqueamishsqueegee
squeal — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto