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Squeak

 - 4 dictionary results

squeak

  [skweek] ,
Use Squeak in a Sentence
–noun
1. a short, sharp, shrill cry; a sharp, high-pitched sound.
2. Informal. opportunity; chance: their last squeak to correct the manuscript.
3. an escape from defeat, danger, death, or destruction (usually qualified by narrow or close).
–verb (used without object)
4. to utter or emit a squeak or squeaky sound.
5. Slang. to confess or turn informer; squeal.
–verb (used with object)
6. to utter or sound with a squeak or squeaks.
—Verb phrase
7. 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.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME squeken, perh. < Scand; cf. Sw skväka to croak

Related forms:
squeak⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Squeak
squeak   (skwēk)   
v.   squeaked, squeak·ing, squeaks

v.   intr.

  1. To give forth a short, shrill cry or sound.

  2. Slang To turn informer.

v.   tr.
To utter in a thin, shrill voice.
n.  

  1. A short shrill cry or sound, such as that made by a mouse or a rusty hinge.

  2. An escape: a close squeak.

Phrasal Verb(s):
squeak through/byTo manage barely to pass, win, or survive: squeaked through the test; squeaks by on a limited income.

[Middle English squeken, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse skvakka, to croak.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

squeak  (v.)
1387, probably of imitative origin, similar to Middle Swedish skväka "to squeak, croak." The noun is from 1664; sense of "narrow escape" is from 1822. Squeaky clean in fig. sense is from 1972, probably from advertisements for dishwashing liquid.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

Squeak language
1.
["Squeak: A Language for Communicating with Mice", L. Cardelli et al, Comp Graphics 19(3):199-204, July 1985].
See Newsqueak.
2. A Smalltalk implementation and a media authoring tool by members of the original Xerox PARC team which created Smalltalk (Alan Kay, Dan Ingalls, et al). Squeak is an open-source implementation, with a highly portable virtual machine implemented in a subset of Smalltalk (translated into C and compiled by a C compiler of the target platform).
Squeak Home.
SqueakCentral.
(2002-11-03)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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