What does squall mean?
A squall is a sudden, short-lived disturbance of the weather, usually bringing a sharp increase in wind together with heavy rain, snow, or sleet. The term is especially useful for storms that arrive suddenly and then pass quickly, although a squall can be violent enough to damage trees, disrupt transport, or make sailing dangerous. Squall also has a less common verb meaning: a person can squall by crying out loudly, and wind may squall against a building. This older sense helps explain the word’s association with abrupt, forceful noise. In everyday British and American English, however, squall overwhelmingly refers to a sudden meteorological burst, and “squall line” names a line or group of such storms. Squally is the related adjective, describing weather marked by sudden strong gusts. Together, the noun and verb capture the idea of something brief, fierce, and difficult to ignore.
A sudden, often violent storm characterized by strong wind and sometimes heavy rain, snow, or sleet; more rarely, a sudden loud cry.
"The approaching squall darkened the sky and sent the crowd scattering for cover."
The meteorological sense is dominant. The sense meaning a loud cry is now literary or dated.
To blow or arise as a sudden violent storm; also, less commonly, to cry out loudly.
"The gales squalled through the night and made the old windows rattle."
The sense of crying out loudly is literary or dated. The weather sense is less frequent than the corresponding noun.
The standard plural is “squalls.” A single storm or burst is a squall, while a series of separate storms is described as squalls.
"Several violent squalls passed over the island during the night."
A squall has a very short fuse: it can hammer a place with sleet and then disappear almost as quickly.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does squall come from?
The word developed in Middle English, with an early sense connected with a loud cry or outcry. Its precise origin is uncertain, though it is often linked to Middle English squallen and to Old Norse skvala, meaning “to babble or chatter.” The now-dominant meteorological sense developed as the word came to denote a sudden, noisy, and violent disturbance of wind and weather.
Related word forms
How squall is actually used
The noun is standard in contemporary British and American English. The verb is less common: the sense meaning “to cry out loudly” is literary or dated, while the meteorological sense is understood but used less often than the noun.
Easily confused with squall
Squall usually denotes a sudden storm or a forceful cry, whereas squawl specifically means a high-pitched or harsh cry.