squeaker

IPA/ˈskwiːkə(r)/
KK[skwˈikɚ]IPA/ˈskwiːkər/

squeaker — noun

  • squeakersingular
  • squeakersplural

1. A small plastic or rubber piece that is placed inside a soft child's toy and pro

1.nounB1
Definition

A small plastic or rubber piece that is placed inside a soft child's toy and produces a short, high-pitched chirp or squeak when pressed or squeezed.

Example

Mei pressed the teddy bear's tummy, and the squeaker inside made the baby laugh.

squeaker + inside + toy — location pattern

The squeaker in the rubber duck stopped working after Reuben squeezed it too many times.

Common collocations
  • press a squeaker
  • squeeze a squeaker
  • squeaker inside [toy]
  • squeaker stops working
Synonyms
  • noisemaker

    broader term — any device that makes sound, not just a squeak

  • squeaky toy

    refers to the whole toy containing the squeaker, not the component itself

Grammar Patterns

squeaker + in + noun phrase (location)

Usage Note

Frequently used in the pattern 'squeaker + in/inside + toy name' to describe where the device is located.

Common Mistakes

The toy has a speaker inside.
The toy has a squeaker inside.
a speaker produces sound for music or speech; a squeaker makes only a short, high-pitched noise.

2. A competition, election, or match in which the winner is decided by an extremely

2.nounB2
Definition

A competition, election, or match in which the winner is decided by an extremely small margin, making the outcome uncertain until the very end.

Example

The city council election was a real squeaker, with Dario winning by only twelve votes.

be a real squeaker — common informal expression

Last night's game turned into a squeaker when the visiting team scored with three seconds left.

Common collocations
  • a real squeaker
  • turn into a squeaker
  • squeaker of a [game/race/election]
Synonyms
  • nail-biter

    equally informal, but emphasises the emotional tension for spectators

  • close call

    can refer to any narrow escape, not just competitions

  • photo finish

    originally horse-racing; suggests the winner was determined by the smallest possible measurement

Antonyms
  • landslide

    a victory by a very large margin — opposite of a squeaker

Grammar Patterns

be a squeaker

squeaker of a + noun

Usage Note

Almost always appears with an article ('a squeaker') and is most common in North American sports commentary and election reporting. The phrase 'a squeaker of a [noun]' also works: 'a squeaker of a game'.

3. Any living creature or object that produces a short, high-pitched sound — such a

3.nounC1
Definition

Any living creature or object that produces a short, high-pitched sound — such as a tiny animal, a rusty hinge, or an unoiled wheel.

Example

A tiny squeaker scurried across the kitchen floor, and Sana knew she had a mouse in the house.

squeaker as an informal term for a mouse

Faisal oiled the garden gate hinges so the old squeaker would finally be quiet.

Common collocations
  • tiny squeaker
  • noisy squeaker
  • loudest squeaker
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

be a squeaker (description)

Usage Note

Used playfully or descriptively rather than as a technical term. The context — animal, person, or object — is inferred from the surrounding sentence.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

While 'squeaker', 'nail-biter', 'close call', and 'photo finish' all describe events with very narrow outcomes, they differ in flavour. 'Squeaker' is the most general and is used across sports, elections, and races — it simply means the margin was tiny. 'Nail-biter' focuses on the tension experienced by spectators; a game can be a nail-biter even if the final score gap is moderate, so long as it was close throughout. 'Close call' extends beyond competitions to any near-miss situation ('That was a close call — the car almost hit you'). 'Photo finish' comes from horse racing and implies the result was so close it required photographic evidence to decide. At the opposite end, 'landslide' describes a victory by an enormous margin — the direct antonym of a squeaker. For example: 'The election was a squeaker decided by 0.3 % of the vote, whereas the previous one had been a landslide with a 40-point gap.'

nail-biter ↗close call ↗photo finishlandslide ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • a real squeaker
  • squeaker of a [noun]

Prepositions

Etymology

Middle EnglishEnglish

Derived from the verb 'squeak' (of imitative origin, dating back to Middle English 'squeken') combined with the agent suffix '-er', which forms nouns meaning 'a person or thing that does something'. The original meaning — 'something that squeaks' — dates from the 1600s. By the mid-1900s, the sense expanded metaphorically to describe any contest so close that the winner 'squeaks by' or barely manages to win.

First known use

1641

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1