caulk

1 of 3

verb

ˈkȯk 

variants or calk

caulked or calked; caulking or calking; caulks or calks

transitive verb

: to stop up and make tight against leakage (something, such as a boat or its seams, the cracks in a window frame, or the joints of a pipe)

caulker noun

caulk

2 of 3

noun (1)

variants or calk or less commonly caulking or calking

ˈkȯ-kiŋ 

: material used to caulk

caulk

3 of 3

noun (2)

variant spelling of calk entry 2, calk entry 3

: a cleat on the shoe of a horse to prevent slipping

also : a similar device worn on the sole of a shoe

Examples of caulk in a Sentence

Verb

He carefully caulked the area around the windows.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Make sure that drafts don’t get into your home around windows and doors this fall with this caulking gun. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026

Despite repairs that included caulking with tar and hemp, the ship was deemed unfit for the Atlantic crossing and abandoned. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026

Noun

Most sheets can be trimmed to size with tin snips and secured with silicone caulk or screws; just wear gloves when cutting, since the sharp edges can nick bare skin. — Lauren Murphy, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2026

Sometimes the caulk around a drain has degraded, allowing mold to grow and offering an inviting way for springtails to enter. — Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English caulken, from Anglo-French cauker, calcher, chalcher to trample, from Latin calcare, from calc-, calx heel

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1954, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for caulk

• balk
• baulk
• bloc
• bock
• broch
• brock
• calk
• chalk
• chock
• clock
• cock
• croc

Kids Definition

caulk

verb

variants or calk

ˈkȯk

: to fill up a crack, seam, or joint so as to make it watertight

caulker noun