as in rattle
the loud sound made when metal strikes metal
the car is making a funny clank, and this can't be good
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clank
Hazlitt,
10 Dec. 2025
What once was an offense dictated by feel and smarts has turned into a rote exercise of clank.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 Nov. 2025
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
23 Dec. 2025
Denver fails to strike first as Wil Lutz clanks the right upright on the 44-yard try.
—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clank
Noun
Other malls seem to be resisting this movement altogether, standing sentinel with their faux-brick tiling and plastic ferns, even as vendors abandon ship and their kiosks clank shut for the last time, having sold their final mutton roll or polyester-blend nightgown.
—
Hazlitt,
10 Dec. 2025
What once was an offense dictated by feel and smarts has turned into a rote exercise of clank.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
Kicker Eddy Piñeiro missed his first field goal with the 49ers when a 64-yard attempt clanked off the crossbar as the first half expired.
—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
23 Dec. 2025
Denver fails to strike first as Wil Lutz clanks the right upright on the 44-yard try.
—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
21 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clank
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clank
Noun
-
Pygmy Rattlesnakes are small and colorful, around 15 to 20 inches in length, with a vertical pupil, thin tail, and tiny rattle.
-
Elsewhere in the snippet of the music video, Latto could be seen walking around a white crib and viewing a scrapbook featuring a page with a rattle and dummy and a positive ClearBlue pregnancy test placed on top.
Verb
-
Avtan often won’t tell Paz anything about the source or meaning of her many samples, which can take the form of fragmented dialogue and what sounds like clinking kitchenware.
-
In the heart of the Altstadt, a short walk from Marienplatz, another of Munich’s must-sees, Hofbrauhaus is a swirl of oompah music, clinking liters and travelers discovering that Bavarian exuberance doesn’t require a festival.
Noun
-
Brunson, who scored 36 and otherwise was the co-author of the comeback, had a 3-pointer clang off the front of the rim, but Anunoby soared over everyone to guide the miss and tip it in.
-
The album’s official versions smooth out some of the buzzy sibilance of the bootlegs, but Hold Onto Me Infinity accommodates lots of tasteful clangs and wubs.
Verb
-
Clicking and clacking, a tiny wooden marionette lifts an apple to his mouth ad infinitum.
-
Babe, that clacking fan is long gone.
Noun
-
Enter Maddie’s Secret, Early’s directorial debut, which follows a chef at GourMaybe Test Kitchen whose rising place in the food-influencer world clashes with her lifelong struggle with bulimia.
-
Local media reported the clashes erupted because of frustrations over the delays in the migrants' returning home.
Verb
-
Many people watching the game on TV were surprised, since replays seemed to suggest Freuler had been offside before being clattered by Abunada.
-
Below them, clattering on a dozen parallel tracks, the trains were coming and going, arriving and departing, thundering underground.
Noun
-
Darwin suspected that atolls formed when coral grew around volcanoes, creating a ring that remained when the volcano subsided.
-
Each corner features heavy-duty stitching and includes a stainless steel D-ring.
Verb
-
As Photay, Shornstein—a master synthesist and producer—flits between atmospheric house, dubby breakbeat workouts, and chirping electro funk, building his songs’ arrangements into strange, angular shapes.
-
The birds chirped a little bit louder.
Cite this Entry
“Clank.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clank. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
