to make a high-pitched, sharp cry or scream, usually when surprised, excited, or hurt.
From Old Norse 'skvæla' (to squeal or cry). The onomatopoetic word entered English in the 1500s and imitates the sound itself.
This word is onomatopoeia—it imitates the actual sound a pig makes or the sound of surprise, which is why it's so satisfying to say out loud!
Squealing coded feminine and infantilized (little girls, excitable women) to dismiss female emotion and autonomy as trivial or irrational.
Use 'squeal' descriptively for any sound (tires, animals, people); resist stereotyping high pitch with gender or maturity level.
["shriek","cry out","screech"]
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