clack

play

verb \ ˈklak \

Definition of clack

intransitive verb

1 :chatter, prattle

2 :to make an abrupt striking sound or series of sounds

3 of fowl :cackle, cluck

transitive verb

1 :to cause to make a clatter

2 :to produce with a chattering sound; specifically :blab

—

clacker

noun

See clack defined for English-language learners

See clack defined for kids

Examples of clack in a Sentence

I heard her heels clacking down the hall.
He clacked his teeth together.

Recent Examples of clack from the Web

IRVINE, Calif. — Every 15 minutes or so, the security guard came clacking down the marble walkway, striding past plush ferns and even plusher indoor/outdoor furniture.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "A Jungle Reunion: Inside One Man's Dream to Re-Create a 1996 SI Photo Shoot," 5 Aug. 2017
One by one, the comments unfurled like clacking destinations on a train-departure board.

— jamie lauren keiles, The New Yorker, "Where Transit Fans Unite," 22 May 2017
Heels clacking and chin high, Lutfi’s poise disintegrates into shrieking fury after discovering Fred’s letter to co-star Lois.

— julia gordon, Orange County Register, "Fullerton’s ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ exudes love and spirit," 17 Mar. 2017
Looking down from within the tunnel: Flashlights clack ON among the team, pointed up, seeking a sense of destination.

— noah oppenheim, New York Times, "Awards Season Screenplay Excerpts," 6 Jan. 2017
Like the Metro-North Railroad trains clack-clacking across the brownstone trestle on Park Avenue in East Harlem, the neighborhood seemed to be a place on the move on a recent afternoon.

— c.j. hughes, New York Times, "East Harlem: Bodegas, Botanicas and New Buildings," 5 Oct. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'clack.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of clack

Middle English, of imitative origin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

clack Synonyms

Synonyms

rattle, clatter

Related Words

chink, chirp, clank, click, clink; clang, clash, crash; spatter, sputter; racket; clip-clop, clop, clop-clop

clack

noun

Definition of clack

1 a :rapid continuous talk :chatter

b :tongue

2 archaic :an object (such as a valve) that produces clapping or rattling noises usually in regular rapid sequence

3 :a sound of clacking

the clack of a typewriter

Recent Examples of clack from the Web

Harbaugh’s arrival at press conferences is preceded by the click-clack of his omnipresent football cleats across Michigan’s football facility flooring.

— edgar thompson, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh bucks college football convention to rebuild Wolverines," 29 Aug. 2017
A high heel will induce a shift-in-gravity stance and alluring hip sway, referred to as torque, whereas the kitten heel seems to merely come with a shuffle motion and a clack.

— liana satenstein, Vogue, "Kitten Heels Are Back—Are They Too Much, Or Not Enough?," 9 Aug. 2017
His move to a bigger location off Monroe Road in southeast Charlotte was the strenuous, clickety-clack ascent up the hill.

— cristina bolling, charlotteobserver, "New Charlotte boutique has 2 special stories: How the owner made it to uptown is just 1 of them," 26 July 2017
Cherry is the brand name to know in this world, offering switches of varying design to provide different feelings—stiffer sprints for firmer pushback, and, of course, keys designed to clack.

— eric limer, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Keyboard Ever Is Back," 5 July 2017
Radio broadcasts of Hawaiian slide guitars and the clacks of his mother's mah-jongg tiles supplied the soundtrack to some of his earliest memories--and inspired his final great composition eight decades later. ...

— the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Composer Lou Harrison's legacy will be celebrated with concerts in his native Portland," 10 June 2017
This is an exceptionally nice plane and the Air Force One personnel are angels sent from above, but amid the clack of laptops, the mid-air calls (everyone phones their mom), and the few bathrooms available for quick changes, staff will sleep poorly.

— loren dejonge schulman, The Atlantic, "Trump's First Presidential Trip Abroad: What Could Go Wrong?," 20 May 2017
Fishermen hung their catch outside their homes, and every now and then there was the distinctive clack of mah-jongg tiles.

— lucas peterson, New York Times, "Other worthy architectural attractions include the," 30 Nov. 2016
My heels click-clack on the marble floors as a pleasant but pale aide-de-camp ushers me into the living room, where Rybolovlev's young lawyer, Tetiana Bersheda, tall and thin, with diamonds around her neck and wrist, soon comes to fetch me.

— vicky ward, Town & Country, "Did This Billionaire Get Swindled Out of Millions in an Elaborate Art World Scheme?," 17 Nov. 2015

First Known Use of clack

15th century

CLACK Defined for English Language Learners

clack

play

verb

Definition of clack for English Language Learners

: to make or cause something to make a short sharp sound or series of short sharp sounds

CLACK Defined for Kids

clack

play

verb \ ˈklak \

Definition of clack for Students

clacked; clacking

1 :to talk rapidly and without stopping

2 :to make or cause to make a short sharp sound

… suddenly he began to shiver … I could hear his teeth clacking.
—Theodore Taylor, The Cay

clack

noun

Definition of clack for Students

1 :rapid continuous talk

The disc jockey's clack went on all morning.

2 :a sound of clacking

the clack of a typewriter

Learn More about clack

See words that rhyme with clack Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for clack Spanish Central: Translation of clack Nglish: Translation of clack for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of clack for Arabic speakers

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clack

Definition of clack

Recent Examples of clack from the Web

First Known Use of clack

CLACK Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of clack for English Language Learners

CLACK Defined for Kids

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Definition of clack for Students

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