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
Over the din of crackling wires and grumbling engines, the president made his case for revitalizing the country’s roads, ports, airports and rail lines.
—
David Alff, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2025
Come fall and winter, this will become a crackling fireside ritual, and instead of cheesecake, we’ll be swathed in flannel and longing for spiked hot chocolate.
—Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Post-trek, unwind by the crackling fireplace, or indulge in a spa treatment infused with local ingredients at Gushimisha Spa & Sauna.
—Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2024
The wooden wick also makes a soothing, crackling sound when lit.
—Amber Guetebier, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for crackling
David Alff, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2025
Come fall and winter, this will become a crackling fireside ritual, and instead of cheesecake, we’ll be swathed in flannel and longing for spiked hot chocolate.
—Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Post-trek, unwind by the crackling fireplace, or indulge in a spa treatment infused with local ingredients at Gushimisha Spa & Sauna.
—Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 27 Dec. 2024
The wooden wick also makes a soothing, crackling sound when lit.
—Amber Guetebier, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for crackling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crackling
Verb
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Initially Mila can be seen hissing at Fifi, just for being near her.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
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In 2021, scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore turned Madagascar hissing cockroaches into cyborgs, implanting electrodes in sensory organs known as cerci that were then connected to tiny computers.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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During the 1880s, the brothers lived here and made their livelihood rustling cattle and horses, while at the same time disposing of unsuspecting ranchers who wandered too close to their hideout.—
Patti Nickell,
Boston Herald,
31 Aug. 2025
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End your drive with a stay at Chinati Hot Springs, and soak in the steaming springwater beneath rustling cottonwoods and the glittering expanse of Texas stars.—
Eva Frederick,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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His arrival home each night is announced by his sputtering motorcycle and his drunken stumbling up the stairs.—
Adam Solomons,
IndieWire,
4 Sep. 2025
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That this continues after years of California officials proposing law after law to rein in the industry leaves this scribe, and many others, sputtering with rage.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crackling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crackling. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
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