squelch
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To make a sucking, splashing noise as when walking on muddy ground.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
skwehlchIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈskwɛltʃ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
intransitivebritish
To make a sucking, splashing noise as when walking on muddy ground.
Walk through mud or mire
intransitivebritish
To walk or step through a substance such as mud.
Make a sucking sound
transitiveus
To halt, stop, eliminate, stamp out, or put down, often suddenly or by force.
noun
countable
A squelching sound.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Rare
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To make a sucking, splashing noise as when walking on muddy ground.
Used this way, squelch is a word tied to one variety of English that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. Most speakers understand it but seldom reach for it.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Regional
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Uncommon in everyday speech
Usage note
Mainly used in British English, so it may read as unusual elsewhere.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use squelch
- “Squelch any sign of dissent.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An electric circuit that cuts off a receiver when the signal becomes weaker than the noise.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.