1
as in storm
a disturbance of the atmosphere accompanied by wind and often by precipitation (as rain or snow)
a snow squall is expected tonight
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in commotion
a state of noisy, confused activity
the annual squall created when the store holds its biggest sale of the year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of squall
Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2025
Regions around the Great Lakes, especially, could see cold winds and snow showers and squalls Monday night through Tuesday morning.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2025
Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 6 Dec. 2024
Black Francis still shrieked, Joey Santiago’s guitar still squalled, Lenchantin’s bass still offered a choppy plunk, and the bam-thwok of David Lovering’s drums still kept the chaos anchored.
—Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for squall
Noun
The Twin Cities reported 9.5 inches of snow, marking the biggest snowfall of the season.
MORE: What every motorist needs to know about driving in snow
In the Northeast, a squall line moved through Wednesday evening, bringing 1 to 2 inches of heavy rain and 50 to 60 mph winds.
—Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 6 Mar. 2025
Regions around the Great Lakes, especially, could see cold winds and snow showers and squalls Monday night through Tuesday morning.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2025
Verb
Snow squall safety tips NWS offers the following snow squall warning safety tips:
Avoid or delay motor vehicle travel until the snow squall warning passes.
—Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 6 Dec. 2024
Black Francis still shrieked, Joey Santiago’s guitar still squalled, Lenchantin’s bass still offered a choppy plunk, and the bam-thwok of David Lovering’s drums still kept the chaos anchored.
—Marc Hirsh, BostonGlobe.com, 9 June 2023
See All Example Sentences for squall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squall
Noun
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Hail and damaging winds are the primary threats with these storms, along with a low tornado threat.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
17 Apr. 2025
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To the south, near the equator and the sun’s azimuth, low-pressure zones create frequent storms.—
Christophe Lavaysse,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The reveal of the dire wolves and accompanying news on red wolf advances lead to plenty of commotion and news coverage.—
Mike Snider,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
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In the backdrop, a commotion of voices from distraught aid workers and soldiers shouting commands in Hebrew can be heard.—
Farnaz Fassihi,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Ozturk shrieked in fear as the officers — some of whom wore sunglasses — then covered their noses and mouths.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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As soon as the actress shrieked to indicate that something was amiss, her costar, Justin Theroux, jumped up and stood behind her to begin fixing the garment.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Anti-Diversity Policies: The U.S. State Department is seeking to quell a diplomatic tempest roiling Europe after several American Embassies sent letters to foreign contractors instructing them to certify their compliance with Trump’s policies aimed at unraveling diversity programs.—
Victoria Kim,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
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At the center of this tempest is the Trumpian disdain toward the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and especially the European nations that are America's main partners in that great endeavor.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Summary Several supplements may help with perimenopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety, stress, bone density loss, and more.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
17 Apr. 2025
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According to police, Levy started the disturbance inside Baires Grill, the Miami Herald reported.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
16 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Polley’s Polley ends up (understandably) screaming in frustration when Matt pratfalls his way into the shot, a tantrum the indie director could hardly relate to as someone known for facilitating calm, peaceful productions on intimate character studies.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
9 Apr. 2025
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Players leaping and bouncing off each other, sprinting to the side of the floor to scream at elated supporters, falling into their coaches’ arms for long embraces as the confetti fell.—
Brian Hamilton,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Noun
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How to act during strong winds Take shelter: Immediately go inside a sturdy building during a high wind warning or severe thunderstorm warning and move to an interior room or basement.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
9 Apr. 2025
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What To Know Though widespread severe thunderstorms are not forecast for Wednesday, the National Weather Service (NWS) warns that isolated thunderstorms may still form across the northern and central Plains, Midwest, Ohio Valley and eastern Florida.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Possessions from some of those who were on the Titanic, some likely abandoned in a hurry, can also be seen on the 3D model.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
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If the Twins don’t get their act together in a hurry, those 10 remaining games against the White Sox might not mean much.—
Aaron Gleeman,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Squall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squall. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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