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Meaning & use

squeaky

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈskwiː.ki/
US/ˈskwiː.ki/

Meanings

  1. adjectivecomparable

    Making a short, high, thin sound, as a door hinge or shoe does.

    Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a squeaky wheel, the door is squeaky.

    Patterns

    • a squeaky door
    • squeaky shoes

    The squeaky floorboard gave her away as she sneaked downstairs.

    He oiled the squeaky hinge on the gate.

    Her new sneakers were squeaky on the gym floor.

  2. adjectivecomparableinformal

    Describing a voice that is high-pitched and thin, often from nerves or youth.

    Grammar: Used about a voice, often informally: a squeaky voice.

    Patterns

    • a squeaky voice

    His voice went squeaky when he was nervous.

    The toy mouse had a squeaky little voice.

    She laughed in a high, squeaky way.

  3. adjectivefixed phraseinformalfigurative

    Perfectly clean, or with no hint of anything dishonest, mainly in the phrase squeaky clean.

    Grammar: Almost always squeaky clean: a squeaky clean image.

    Patterns

    • squeaky clean

    The politician tried to keep a squeaky clean image.

    After the scrub, the bathtub was squeaky clean.

    His record was squeaky clean until that day.

Word forms

comparativesqueakier
superlativesqueakiest

Common combinations

squeaky clean
The dishes were squeaky clean.
squeaky wheel
The squeaky wheel gets the grease, as the saying goes.
squeaky voice
The puppet had a squeaky voice.
squeaky hinge
A squeaky hinge needs oil.
squeaky floorboard
A squeaky floorboard woke the baby.

Synonyms and how they differ

creaky
Creaky describes a lower, slower sound from old wood or joints, while squeaky is higher and shorter.
shrill
Shrill is harsher and more piercing than squeaky.
high-pitched
High-pitched describes pitch only, and does not suggest friction or smallness.
spotless
Spotless fits only the clean sense, and is more neutral than squeaky clean.

Opposites

silentdeep

Word family

squeak noun
a short high sound
squeak verb
to make that sound
squeakily adverb
in a squeaking way
squeaker noun
something that squeaks, such as a toy

Commonly confused: squeaky or squealy?

squeaky vs squealy

Squealy suggests a longer, louder cry, as from a pig; squeaky is shorter and thinner.

Practice

The hotel chain wanted a ___ clean reputation, free of any scandal.

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