squeal

[skweel]
noun
1.
a somewhat prolonged, sharp, shrill cry, as of pain, fear, or surprise.
2.
Slang.
a.
an instance of informing against someone.
b.
a protest or complaint; beef.
verb (used without object)
3.
to utter or emit a squeal or squealing sound.
4.
Slang.
a.
to turn informer; inform.
b.
to protest or complain; beef.
verb (used with object)
5.
to utter or produce with a squeal.

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English squelen; imitative

squeal·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
squeal (skwiːl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a high shrill yelp, as of pain
2.  a screaming sound, as of tyres when a car brakes suddenly
 
vb
3.  to utter a squeal or with a squeal
4.  slang (intr) to confess information about another
5.  informal chiefly (Brit) (intr) to complain or protest loudly
 
[C13 squelen, of imitative origin]
 
'squealer
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

squeal
c.1300, probably of imitative origin, similar to O.N. skvala "to cry out" (see squall (v.)). The sense of "inform on another" is first recorded 1865. The noun is attested from 1747.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

squeal definition


  1. in.
    to inform (someone about something). : Who squealed to the cops?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
Tires squeal and skid as vehicles corner tightly at high speed around curves
  and dirt roads.
For years, he has lived twenty-four hours a day with a loud, grating squeal in
  his ears.
Occasionally a high-pitched squeal is heard amid bumps and the sound of
  scrabbling toenails.
For example, train wheel rumble is a low pitch sound and a squeal is a high
  pitch sound.
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