croak

1 of 2

verb

ˈkrōk 

croaked; croaking; croaks

intransitive verb

1

a

: to make a deep harsh sound

b

: to speak in a hoarse throaty voice

2

: grumble sense 1

3

slang : die

transitive verb

1

: to utter in a hoarse raucous voice

2

slang : kill

croak

2 of 2

noun

: a hoarse harsh cry or sound

croaky

ˈkrō-kē 

adjective

Synonyms

Verb

• complain
• scream
• whine
• mutter
• moan

Examples of croak in a Sentence

Verb

We could hear the frogs croaking by the pond.

The man could only croak his name.

He tried to speak but could barely croak.

He had a heart attack and croaked.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Karaoke on Ambience mainly consists of elderly monk-like men croaking out album tracks by Black Sabbath, and grey haired women wailing out ABBA songs. —David Greig september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025

Predictably, their reunion goes horribly wrong, especially when Dyer, in scenes of histrionics and angry outbursts, croaks out to his eldest sons a secret about their half-brother, Andy Jr., played by Noah Jupe. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025

Noun

In the middle of the forest, the only sounds biologist Kimberly Rosvall could hear were the croaks of nocturnal frogs and the distant howl of a coyote. —Humberto Basilio, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2025

The mangrove forests resounded with birdsong: the high trill of swallows and the guttural croak of snail kites. —Simon Willis, Travel + Leisure, 5 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English croken, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1561, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for croak

• bloke
• boeck
• broke
• choke
• cloak
• cloke
• folk
• hoke
• joke
• moke
• oak
• poke

Kids Definition

croak

verb

ˈkrōk

1

a

: to make a deep harsh sound

b

: to speak in a hoarse throaty voice

2

: grumble sense 1, complain

3

slang

a

: die entry 1 sense 1

b

: kill entry 1 sense 1

croak noun