Definition of "squib" [squib]

• A small firecracker. (noun)
• A broken firecracker that burns but does not explode. (noun)
• A brief satirical or witty writing or speech, such as a lampoon. (noun)
• A short, sometimes humorous piece in a newspaper or magazine, usually used as a filler. (noun)
• To write or utter squibs. (verb-intransitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Here's a squib from the publisher's page about the book."
• "No 800-word opinion squib is going to substitute for several years of intensive training in a subject; nuance is inevitably going to get lost."
• "If last week's little demonstration by Iran -- calling for the elimination of Israel -- didn't convince you that the people who run that country are just plain nuts, perhaps this little squib from the National Post will help."