squall
Noun · VerbUS[skwawl]/skwɔl/1 syllable
Open English WordNet
Verb (3)squalled, squalling
- make high-pitched, whiney noisesSynonyms: waulwawlMore general howl, ululate
- utter a sudden loud cry“she cried with pain when the doctor inserted the needle”“I yelled to her from the window but she couldn't hear me”Synonyms: shoutshout outcrycallyellscreamhollerholloMore general utter, emitMore specific howl, shriek, whoop, squawk, halloo, hollo, hurrahSimilar call, exclaim
- blow in a squall“When it squalls, a prudent sailor reefs his sails”More general blow
Noun (1)
- sudden violent winds; often accompanied by precipitationType of wind, air currentKinds line squall
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Squall (skwa̤l), noun
Origin: Cf. Sw. sqval an impetuous running of water, sqvalregn a violent shower of rain, sqvala to stream, to gush.
A sudden and violent gust of wind often attended with rain or snow.
The gray skirts of a lifting squall.— Alfred Tennyson
Black squall, a squall attended with dark, heavy clouds. — Thick squall, a black squall accompanied by rain, hail, sleet, or snow. Benjamin J. Totten — White squall, a squall which comes unexpectedly, without being marked in its approach by the clouds. Benjamin J. Totten
Squall intransitive verb [past tense & past participle Squalled (skwa̤ld); present participle & verbal noun Squalling.]
Origin: Icel. skvala. Cf. Squeal.
To cry out; to scream or cry violently, as a woman frightened, or a child in anger or distress; as, the infant squalled.
Squall noun
A loud scream; a harsh cry.
There oft are heard the notes of infant woe, — The short, thick sob, loud scream, and shriller squall.— Alexander Pope
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54