What does squeaker mean?
A squeaker is an object, person, or animal that makes a thin, high-pitched squeak. The most familiar example is a small novelty device, often made from soft rubber, that produces a sound when squeezed. In North American English, the word can also denote a shoe whose sole squeaks against the floor; such shoes are associated with children, schoolrooms, and the deliberately conspicuous footwear worn by some teenagers. More broadly, anything that regularly emits a squeak may be called a squeaker, though the word often suggests a small or amusing source of noise. The expression can also be figurative, as when a person or vehicle is called a squeaker because of the sound it makes. Although squeaker may describe any sound-producing object, its everyday use most often refers to a press-to-squeak toy or a squeaking shoe.
nounA person or object that produces a high-pitched squeak, especially a small device or a shoe with a sole designed to make a squeaking sound when worn.
- A device or object designed to produce a squeak when pressed or moved.
- A person, animal, or other thing that makes a high-pitched squeaking sound.
- A shoe with a sole that squeaks when the wearer walks, chiefly used in North American English.
"She pressed the rubber duck, making the little squeaker chirp."
"The baby delighted everyone by squeezing the bright yellow squeaker."
"He bought a pair of old-fashioned squeakers at the market."
The plural is used when referring to several objects or people that squeak.
"The shop sells colourful rubber squeakers for babies."
A squeaker turns a tiny burst of air into a famously high-pitched protest.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does squeaker come from?
The word combines the inherited English verb squeak with the agent suffix -er, meaning a person or thing that performs the indicated action. Squeak itself is an imitative formation based on the sound it names, analogous to words such as creak and squeal. The compound form squeaker has therefore developed broadly from “something that squeaks” to more specific meanings involving small noise-making devices and, especially in North America, shoes with squeaking soles.
Related word forms
How squeaker is actually used
In North American English, squeaker can also refer to a rubber-soled shoe that squeaks when walked in; this use is especially associated with children's shoes and nostalgic accounts of school life. The word may sound informal or playful in most contexts.
Easily confused with squeaker
A squeaker produces a squeaking sound, whereas a speaker reproduces or projects sound, including speech and music.