squeak
pronunciation
How to pronounce squeak in British English: UK [skwiːk]
How to pronounce squeak in American English: US [skwiːk]
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- Noun:
- a short high-pitched noise
- something achieved (or escaped) by a narrow margin
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- Verb:
- make a high-pitched, screeching noise
Word Origin
- squeak (v.)
- late 14c., probably of imitative origin, similar to Middle Swedish skväka "to squeak, croak." Related: Squeaked; squeaking.
- squeak (n.)
- 1660s, from squeak (v.); sense of "narrow escape" is by 1811.
Example
- 1. With a third group , she activated the squeak as if by accident .
- 2. One particular bark , which has a telltale plaintive squeak to it , features more and more frequently .
- 3. The squeak of a mouse tells most people to buy a mousetrap , but it tells some researchers a lot more .
- 4. She interrupted herself after demonstrating the squeak by saying she had to go and write something down , thus suggesting that she might not have finished the demonstration .
- 5. The assistant was asked to record the total playing time , the number of different actions the child performed , the time spent playing with the squeak , and the number of other functions the child discovered .