squeak
/skwiːk
/noun
1A short, high-pitched sound or cry: the door opened with a slight squeak...
- ‘I wasn't aware dinner had been served,’ I replied my voice sounding like a squeak when it came out.
- Grover Norquist, on the other hand, speaks like a man who had all the delight squeezed out of him years ago, leaving him with nothing in his voice but a high-pitched squeak of disdain.
- It made short purring sounds, mixed with squeaks, then it vanished.
Synonyms
peep, cheep, pipe, piping, squeal, tweet, warble, yelp, whimper
screech, creak, scrape, grate, rasp, jar, groan
1.1 [with negative] A single remark or communication: I didn’t hear a squeak from him for months...
- Still, even while driving in and out of Irish potholes, you'll hear no squeak or feel no squirm from the structure or fittings.
- And have we heard a squeak from the director with the verbal incontinence?
- Now, we have been blessed with a good summer and very few people are saying squeak.
verb [no object]
1Make a high-pitched sound or cry: he oiled the hinges to stop them squeaking...
- At the sound of the door squeaking slowly open, both of us rose and turned to face it.
- Just then, the sound of keys and the front door squeaking open met our ears.
- The floors had stopped squeaking, and there was the sound of someone walking on the boards that didn't squeak.
Synonyms
peep, cheep, pipe, squeal, tweet, yelp, whimper
screech, creak, scrape, grate, rasp, jar, groan
1.1 [with direct speech] Say something in a nervous or excited high-pitched tone: ‘You’re scaring me,’ she squeaked...
- An excited voice squeaked from the other end of the phone.
- The first time I got the nerve to call a guy, when he picked up I was so nervous that I squeaked into the phone.
- It was squeaking nervously and trying to claw its way out.
1.2 informal Inform on someone: I have assured them that you will not squeak
2 [with adverbial] informal Succeed in achieving something by a very narrow margin: the bill squeaked through with just six votes to spare...
- Although Thomas squeaked through by a narrow margin in the Senate, several notable Republicans broke party ranks to vote against his nomination.
- Trucks also can't slow down as quickly as a car so think about that the next time you squeak in front of one and slam on the brakes.
- We just squeaked into the play-offs, but I was excited about being a part of it all.
Origin
Late Middle English (as a verb): imitative; compare with Swedish skväka 'croak', also with squeal and shriek. The noun dates from the early 17th century.