crackling

noun

crack·​ling

plural cracklings

1

ˈkra-k(ə-)liŋ  : a series of small sharp cracking noises

the crackling of frozen snow as we walk

2

\ ˈkra-​klən , -​kliŋ \

a

: the crisp residue left after the rendering of lard from pig fat or the frying or roasting of pig skin

Want to know how to get perfect crisp crackling on roast pork?

—BBC Good Food (online)

… for me fat is a largely a textural pleasure, … and pork crackling is surely the supreme example of this: a blistered top, as dry and crunchy as an autumn leaf, hiding a layer of yielding, creamy fat beneath.

—Felicity Cloake

also : a piece of this residue

We feasted on … fresh hog cracklings from a road-side trailer north of Houston …

—Peter Richmond

b

: food or a piece of food that resembles crackling

duck cracklings

The great Simon Hopkinson, author of Roast Chicken and Other Stories, gave me—appropriately enough—a bag of chicken crackling as a present, and I pressed him for the recipe.

—Nigella Lawson

Examples of crackling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Surrounding them is an ensemble crackling with life: Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li and Hailee Steinfeld. —Clayton Davis, Variety, 28 Apr. 2025

While the on-property Italian restaurant Gemma is a classic, nothing quite beats an evening cocktail in the lobby with its crackling fireplace and thick velvet curtains. —Christina Liao, Vogue, 19 Apr. 2025

But especially in the scenes between Manders and Mrs. Alving, the crackling argumentative heat of Ibsenism dries out any dampness. —Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2025

The black-and-white clip also featured a Casablanca-esque wide shot of a man in a trench coat walking down an eerie street as an unseen violin plays a crackling melody. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for crackling

• tackling

Kids Definition

crackling

noun

crack·​ling

1

ˈkrak-(ə-)liŋ

: a series of small sharp crackling sounds

2

ˈkrak-lən,

ˈkrak-liŋ

: the crisp remainder left after the fat has been separated from the meat or skin (as of pork)

—usually used in plural