clucked; clucking; clucks
1
: to make a cluck
2
: to make a clicking sound with the tongue
3
: to express interest or concern
critics clucked over the new developments
1
: the characteristic sound made by a hen especially in calling her chicks
2
: a stupid or naive person
a dumb cluck
Examples of cluck in a Sentence
Verb
The hen clucked at her chicks.
The driver clucked at the horses to get them moving.
Commentators have been clucking over his lack of experience.
Noun
Don't be such a dumb cluck.
stuck with a bunch of clucks on an extended bus tour
Recent Examples on the Web
Josh Miller, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
Unexpectedly, a character who seemed to be a stock figure — the dowdy matron, clucking over the girls in her charge — emerges as someone much richer and better, raising the show along with her.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 26 June 2025
Geese on the ground cluck excitedly when other birds are circling above.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 9 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for cluck
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.
Verb
These are old-school Southern snacks, ones that have clucked their way back onto menus at some fancy Southern restaurants.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 27 June 2025
Unexpectedly, a character who seemed to be a stock figure — the dowdy matron, clucking over the girls in her charge — emerges as someone much richer and better, raising the show along with her.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
Here’s something for Hallmark fans to cluck about: the channel has set the return date for The Chicken Sisters.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 26 June 2025
Geese on the ground cluck excitedly when other birds are circling above.
—Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 9 Sep. 2023
See All Example Sentences for cluck
Cite this Entry
“Cluck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cluck. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share