as in hissing
to make a series of short, sharp noises
The logs crackled in the fire. The leaves crackled under our feet. a crackling fire
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Recent Examples of crackling
There were crackling sounds coming from the radio, someone speaking over the noise of a crowd.
—
Fran Moreland Johns, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
And then, crackling across the radio in both Gemini 7 and Mission Control, just nine days before Christmas of 1965, came a tiny, tinny chorus of Jingle Bells, performed live, on a small harmonica and small set of bells—contraband Schirra had smuggled aboard his ship.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 May 2026
The crime-solving duo of Europol’s Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) and Copenhagen detective Naia Thulin (Danica Curcic) is one of the genre’s best pairings, as Mark’s talents and personal struggles become clear over the course of the season alongside their crackling chemistry.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 6 May 2026
In contrast, her paced, crackling chorus serves as a recognition and reckoning.
—Caitlin Wolper Phillips, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for crackling
Fran Moreland Johns, The Atlantic, 11 May 2026
And then, crackling across the radio in both Gemini 7 and Mission Control, just nine days before Christmas of 1965, came a tiny, tinny chorus of Jingle Bells, performed live, on a small harmonica and small set of bells—contraband Schirra had smuggled aboard his ship.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 11 May 2026
The crime-solving duo of Europol’s Mark Hess (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) and Copenhagen detective Naia Thulin (Danica Curcic) is one of the genre’s best pairings, as Mark’s talents and personal struggles become clear over the course of the season alongside their crackling chemistry.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 6 May 2026
In contrast, her paced, crackling chorus serves as a recognition and reckoning.
—Caitlin Wolper Phillips, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for crackling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crackling
Verb
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To test the concept, the team equipped Madagascar hissing cockroaches with a lightweight wearable backpack capable of collecting physiological and behavioral data.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
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This might be as simple as a public argument – hissing whispers in an elevator.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Keep your eyes peeled for evidence of nesting, such as shredded materials like paper and insulation, as well as rustling sounds in the walls.—
Kate Van Pelt,
The Spruce,
22 May 2026
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McCamish pointed to a nearby stand of cottonwood trees rustling in the wind.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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In the end, despite the early promise and intrigue, The Boroughs is just another bland, unsatisfying Netflix Original series limping and sputtering to its foregone conclusion.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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Their side hustle is sputtering toward some sort of finish line, the Saudi’s Public Investment Fund having pulled the cashflow that made LIV so appealing in the first place.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crackling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crackling. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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