croak

1 of 2

verb

croaked; croaking; croaks

intransitive verb

1
a
: to make a deep harsh sound
b
: to speak in a hoarse throaty voice
2
3
slang : die

transitive verb

1
: to utter in a hoarse raucous voice
2
slang : kill

croak

2 of 2

noun

: a hoarse harsh cry or sound
croaky adjective

Examples of croak in a Sentence

Verb We could hear the frogs croaking by the pond. The man could only croak his name. He tried to speak but could barely croak. He had a heart attack and croaked.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
And Powers’ voice, as quiet as ever, is the ghost stalking the halls, croaking stories of familial decay. Pitchfork, 6 Dec. 2023 Three yards ultimately choked and croaked in that cloud of dust. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Nov. 2023 At their backs, 16,000 hobby runners sang and snapped selfies as speakers croaked pop songs over the crowd. Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 June 2023 Along with the singing birds and croaking frogs, there’s the sound of chainsaws and stump grinders as some people remove trees from their properties. Mary Jo Dilonardo, Treehugger, 28 Mar. 2023 In the ad, the trio gathers in a swampy setting to croak out their names in succession, eventually stringing them together to make the beer company's full name. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 3 Feb. 2023 The Texas Christian Horned Frogs used a 51-45 win at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl to croak the notion that upstart programs can’t compete with the bluebloods and to remind observers of why the College Football Playoff had to expand. Greg Moore, The Arizona Republic, 31 Dec. 2022 For now, her two dogs, Wendy and Capitán, wait by the hamper; the roosters continue to croak; and a mother clutches her daughter’s photo in one hand and a rosary in the other. Washington Post, 28 June 2021 Frogs croaked from a nearby ditch; birds trilled from the field’s edge. Kirk Johnson, New York Times, 9 May 2020
Noun
Every 10 minutes or so, the orbs croak like frogs, or chirp like crickets, and sparkle with light. Kat McGowan, WIRED, 4 Jan. 2024 The markedly Southern, deadpan, solidly intimidating croak of 21 Savage’s voice is unmistakable. Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 18 Dec. 2023 Frogs croak and croak, their mating calls echoing in the air. Patricia Mazzei, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023 Canvasbacks aren’t especially boisterous ducks, with the drakes making a low, rolling growl, sometimes described as a croak, and the hens a softer mallard-like quack. M.d. Johnson, Field & Stream, 8 Nov. 2023 Across 92 tracks, the sonorous amphibians strike up all manner of din: chirps, croaks, barks, chirrups, beeps, honks, buzzes, squawks, blips, whines, and grunts. Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2023 The demon’s baritone croak was supplied not by a voice synthesizer but by Mercedes McCambridge, a gifted and troubled character actress who went full Method during the recording — to the point of binding her hands, like Regan’s, with bedsheets. Louis Bayard, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2023 The forest routes Stefano guided us through were blissfully empty, including the 2016 Olympic cycling route, filled only with the hum of birds and bugs, and the occasional croak of the toucans. Mercedes Bleth, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 July 2023 From rainforests and deserts to Arctic tundra and coral reefs, hear the howls, croaks, hums, trills, clicks, growls, and cries of animals in the wild, and see this rich symphony of sound made visible through real-time streaming spectrograms. San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'croak.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English croken, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1561, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of croak was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near croak

Cite this Entry

“Croak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/croak. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

croak

verb
ˈkrōk
1
a
: to make a deep harsh sound
b
: to speak in a hoarse throaty voice
2
3
croak noun

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