Meaning & use
squall
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Meanings
nouncountable
A sudden, short burst of strong wind, often with heavy rain, snow or hail.
Grammar: Often described by what it brings: a rain squall.
Patterns
- a squall of rain/snow
- caught in a squall
A squall hit the lake and tipped the little boat.
We were caught in a squall on the way to the beach.
The squall passed within minutes, leaving the sky clear.
nouncountableold-fashioned
A loud, harsh cry, especially from a baby or child.
Grammar: Often used for a screaming noise: the squall of a baby.
Patterns
- the squall of someone
The baby let out a squall in the middle of the night.
A squall from the nursery woke the whole house.
The squall of the seagulls filled the air.
verbintransitive
To cry out loudly and harshly, especially in distress.
Grammar: No object, and it describes a baby or a bird: the baby squalled.
Patterns
- squall at someone
The baby squalled until she was fed.
Gulls squalled over the fishing boats.
He squalled in pain when he trapped his finger.
Word forms
| plural | squalls |
|---|---|
| third person singular | squalls |
| past tense | squalled |
| past participle | squalled |
| -ing form | squalling |
Common combinations
- sudden squall
- A sudden squall forced the sailors back to port.
- rain squall
- A rain squall drenched the picnic.
- snow squall
- A snow squall blinded drivers on the motorway.
- squall line
- Meteorologists tracked a squall line moving across the plains.
- caught in a squall
- The fishermen were caught in a squall off the coast.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gust
- Gust is a short burst of wind alone, whereas squall implies a stronger event that often carries rain.
- storm
- Storm lasts longer and covers a wider area than a squall, which is brief.
- gale
- Gale names a strong wind that can blow for a long time, while a squall is short.
- flurry
- Flurry means a light, short fall of snow or a burst of activity and is gentler than squall.
Opposites
Word family
- squally adjective
- marked by sudden storms of wind and rain
- squalling adjective
- crying or blowing loudly
- squalls noun
- the plural
- squalled verb
- cried out harshly
Commonly confused: squall or squalor?
squall vs squalor
Squalor means filthy, wretched conditions and is not a weather word, despite the similar spelling.
Practice
The sky was clear until a sudden ___ struck the lake and soaked the sailors.
Choose one answer.
A squall is a brief violent burst of wind with rain, which fits the sudden soaking. A drought is dry, a breeze is gentle and fog is a still mist.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “squall”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.