creaked; creaking; creaks
: to make a prolonged grating or squeaking sound often as a result of being worn-out
also
: to proceed slowly with or as if with creaking wheels
the story creaks along to a dull conclusion
: a rasping or grating noise
Examples of creak in a Sentence
Verb
The old floorboards creaked under our feet.
The porch roof creaked with the heavy weight of the snow.
Noun
the creak of a floorboard
Recent Examples on the Web
Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor.
—Rick Bragg, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
The Freight House building creaks and moans underfoot, and passing trains produce little more than a subtle hum.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for creak
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
Sometimes, images are blurred and overlaid as densely as the chaos of musical fragments and creaking sonic whatsits in Joseph Field Eccles and Nick Smyth’s own sound design.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor.
—Rick Bragg, Southern Living, 15 Mar. 2026
Noun
In the opening moments, Loznitsa, working with the Romanian cinematographer Oleg Mutu, plants the camera before the prison gates, which open with a loud creak, allowing a fresh batch of emaciated arrivals to shuffle into a work yard.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2026
The Freight House building creaks and moans underfoot, and passing trains produce little more than a subtle hum.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for creak
Cite this Entry
“Creak.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/creak. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
