clank

verb \ ˈklaŋk \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: clank in a Sentence

Definition of clank

clanked; clanking; clanks

intransitive verb

1 : to make a clank or series of clanks

the radiator hissed and clanked

2 : to go with or as if with a clank

tanks clanking through the streets

transitive verb

: to cause to clank

—

clankingly

play \ˈklaŋ-kiŋ-lē\ adverb

See clank defined for English-language learners

See clank defined for kids

Examples of clank in a Sentence

The radiator hissed and clanked.
The empty can clanked along the sidewalk.
a ghost clanking its chains

Recent Examples of clank from the Web

Against the Golden Knights, Braden Holtby made the stick save of a lifetime to lock up a Game 2 win and opponent James Neal clanked a shot off the post in Game 4, staring at as much net as Tikkanen had 20 years ago.

— stephen whyno, baltimoresun.com, "Stanley Cup run makes up for Capitals' playoff failures," 7 June 2018
The desperate Golden Knights outchanced the Capitals by a wide margin but fell apart after James Neal clanked a shot off the post instead of hitting a wide-open net early in the first period.

— stephen whyno, chicagotribune.com, "Capitals on verge of Stanley Cup after blowing out Golden Knights 6-2," 4 June 2018
Until recently, cleanup equipment clanked and scraped from morning till night.

— San Francisco Chronicle, "Susan Gorin aches to fast-forward to well past next year — when she once again has a home on what is now an ashy lot.," 5 Apr. 2018
Amid the smells of coffee, clanking of dishes and the crowds of loud tourists, the new ultra-modern buildings stand out from the Old World feel of the neighborhood — although the developments make nods to the neighboorhood’s past.

— phillip molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Inside Little Italy's apartment rush," 18 May 2018
Babies wait for no one, not even a crowd of wellwishers and a massive media mob gathered in the narrow street outside the door, with their whirring cameras and clanking stepladders and shouting and cheering and applauding.

— maria puente, USA TODAY, "How does Duchess Kate do it? From giving birth to camera-ready in heels in under 8 hours," 23 Apr. 2018
And Michigan deserves plenty of blame, coming out and clanking so many shots.

— jeff seidel, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan's Moritz Wagner wouldn't be denied in Final Four win over Loyola," 31 Mar. 2018
Traffic starts to build, out-of-state cars multiply, and beach chairs clank and scrape along sidewalks and paths.

— maddie mortell, BostonGlobe.com, "Don’t be ‘that’ tourist. Some vacation advice from a local," 2 May 2018
With just under nine minutes left, Brogdon had an open look from the corner that would have tied the game at 54, but instead clanked off the iron.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Celtics 112, Bucks 96: Season ends with a whimper," 28 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of clank

probably imitative

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1656

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

clank

noun

Definition of clank

: a sharp brief metallic ringing sound

Examples of clank in a Sentence

the car is making a funny clank, and this can't be good

Recent Examples of clank from the Web

If one of those shots clanks off the rim, the Ramblers are, in all likelihood, sitting at home watching a different team from the South Region bask in the national spotlight.

— chris johnson, SI.com, "Making the Case For Each Final Four Team to Win the Title," 30 Mar. 2018
The only sound, aside from the squeak and clank of the suspension, is the backup alert.

— robert duffer, chicagotribune.com, "Electric trucks deliver savings, silence in growing fleet sales," 24 Aug. 2017
There is the sound of rustling, followed by clanks, and then a sustained whoosh of loud, mechanical hissing.

— bronwen dickey, Popular Mechanics, "The Lost Kids on the Line," 14 Mar. 2018
The drought has hurt most since 2014, when the Americans blew a 2-0 lead in the gold medal game and had the puck clank off the post, just missing an empty-net goal before Canada tied it with 54.6 seconds left in regulation.

— teresa m. walker, The Seattle Times, "Canada women shooting for 5th straight Olympic hockey gold," 19 Jan. 2018
For someone who’s set off by the tiniest clank of a spoon on a cereal bowl, the jostling drunks and traffic and hype is a special kind of torture.

— SI.com, "In Oakland, Jon Gruden Is Ready to Grind," 19 Feb. 2018
Somehow, perhaps unnerved by the clanks and clunks, Fanucci had escaped his crate, pulled down the window and leapt out.

— ben walker, The Seattle Times, "Dogged: Badly wrecked, German shepherd shows at Westminster," 11 Feb. 2018
Chun, looking for a hat trick, had an attempt clank off the right post.

— kyle stackpole, baltimoresun.com, "River Hill girls soccer shuts out Wilde Lake, 2-0, in sectional final," 3 Nov. 2017
Having a water bottle clank around on the outside of your bag is annoying while on a hike in the middle of the woods, let alone on a bus or light rail.

— adrienne so, WIRED, "Review: Timbuk2 Lug Knapsack," 1 Nov. 2017