To squeak means to make a short, high-pitched sound, like the noise a mouse makes or the sound of sneakers on a gym floor. Old doors squeak when their hinges need oil. Chalk squeaks against a blackboard. A rusty bicycle wheel squeaks with each rotation.

The word captures sounds that are small, sharp, and often a bit annoying. When your little brother's voice squeaks with excitement, it suddenly jumps higher in pitch. A squeaky toy makes these sounds repeatedly when squeezed.

People also use squeak to describe barely managing something. If you squeak by on a test, you passed it, but just barely. A team that squeaks out a victory wins by the smallest possible margin, like scoring one point in the final second. When someone says they squeaked through a difficult situation, they made it, but it was close.

The phrase squeaky clean means extremely clean, so clean that surfaces squeak when you rub them. It can also describe someone with a spotlessly perfect reputation, though sometimes people use it with a hint of suspicion, wondering if anyone can really be that perfect.