squawk

English

Unknown [from 1821], but probably of imitative origin (compare dialectal Italian squacco (“small-crested heron”)).

squawk (plural squawks)

A shrill noise, especially made by a voice or bird; a yell, scream, or call.
(aviation) A four-digit transponder code used by aircraft for identification or transmission of emergency signals.
(aviation) An issue or complaint related to aircraft maintenance.
The American night heron.
(programming, informal) A warning message indicating a possible error.
- 2012, Scott Meyers, Effective C++ Digital Collection: 140 Ways to Improve Your Programming:
  The function-hiding code above, for instance, goes through a different (but widely used) compiler with nary a squawk.

shrill noise

squawk (third-person singular simple present squawks, present participle squawking, simple past and past participle squawked)

To make a squawking noise; to yell, scream, or call out shrilly.
- 1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:
  
  The hens woke up squawking with terror because they had all dreamed simultaneously of hearing a gun go off in the distance.
(slang, intransitive) To speak out; to protest.
(slang, intransitive) To report an infraction; to rat on or tattle; to disclose a secret.
- 1948, Andrew Geer, The Sea Chase (page 68)
  "I'll slit your throat if you squawk on us," Krantz threatened.
(programming, intransitive, informal) To produce a warning message, indicating a possible error.
- 1993, Steve Maguire, Writing Solid Code:
  That way, if you type = instead of ==, the compiler will squawk because you can't assign something to a constant.
- 2013, Bill Sempf, ‎Chuck Sphar, ‎Stephen R. Davis, C# 5.0 All-in-One For Dummies
  You want the compiler to squawk if you try to instantiate for a type that doesn't implement IPrioritizable.
(aviation) To set or transmit a four-digit transponder code. (Normally followed by the specific code in question.)
(US, slang, dated) To back out in a mean way.

Conjugation of squawk

to make a squawking noise