crackling

noun

crack·​ling
plural cracklings
1
ˈkra-k(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce crackling (audio) : a series of small sharp cracking noises
the crackling of frozen snow as we walk
2
\ ˈkra-​klən How to pronounce crackling (audio) , -​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 Despite Callas' suffering, Jolie imbues her with a crackling wit and a diva-like yearning to be adulated. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 30 Sep. 2024 Jacobs gives these three crackling, perceptive actors plenty to work with and then steps back to capture their workaday magic. Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 29 Sep. 2024 To achieve the look, people paint their lips in a bright color like neon green then scrunch up their lips and apply a black shade atop, which produces a crackling effect when the lips return to their resting point. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 27 Sep. 2024 In an interview as crackling with ideas as their new film Megalopolis, director Francis Coppola and Adam Driver discuss the power of films whose meaning changes in the minds of moviegoers in multiple viewings over time. Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 26 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crackling 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crackling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of crackling was in 1599

Dictionary Entries Near crackling

Cite this Entry

“Crackling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crackling. Accessed 12 Oct. 2024.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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