the squeaky wheel gets the grease
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: squeaky wheels get oiled
Those who complain or speak up are more likely to get attention and help
Những người than vãn hoặc lên tiếng sẽ có nhiều khả năng nhận được sự chú ý và giúp đỡ
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-30; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” mean?
Those who complain or speak up are more likely to get attention and help Literally: a squeaky wheel on a cart being lubricated
Is “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.