crackling

noun

crack·​ling

plural cracklings

1

ˈkra-k(ə-)liŋ  : a series of small sharp cracking noises

the crackling of frozen snow as we walk

2

\ ˈkra-​klən , -​kliŋ \

a

: the crisp residue left after the rendering of lard from pig fat or the frying or roasting of pig skin

Want to know how to get perfect crisp crackling on roast pork?

—BBC Good Food (online)

… for me fat is a largely a textural pleasure, … and pork crackling is surely the supreme example of this: a blistered top, as dry and crunchy as an autumn leaf, hiding a layer of yielding, creamy fat beneath.

—Felicity Cloake

also : a piece of this residue

We feasted on … fresh hog cracklings from a road-side trailer north of Houston …

—Peter Richmond

b

: food or a piece of food that resembles crackling

duck cracklings

The great Simon Hopkinson, author of Roast Chicken and Other Stories, gave me—appropriately enough—a bag of chicken crackling as a present, and I pressed him for the recipe.

—Nigella Lawson

Examples of crackling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The audio feature, part of a Sounds of Nature app, was imitating a cozy fire—complete with the sound of crackling and popping wood. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025

But Southern folks have our ways of faking fall: visiting pumpkin patches in 85-degree heat, weekend camping trips, Hocus Pocus movie nights with the electric fireplace crackling, and scares at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights. —Raquel Reichard, Refinery29, 1 Oct. 2025

The Hollywood actor’s devilish features and unmistakable crackling voice make for a pitch-perfect pair with Solnicki’s sardonic sensibility. —Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 28 Sep. 2025

See, wood chopping is really an investment—both in terms of that crackling fire, but also your emotional well being. —Outside Online, 24 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for crackling

• tackling

Kids Definition

crackling

noun

crack·​ling

1

ˈkrak-(ə-)liŋ

: a series of small sharp crackling sounds

2

ˈkrak-lən,

ˈkrak-liŋ

: the crisp remainder left after the fat has been separated from the meat or skin (as of pork)

—usually used in plural