1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the cranky patient was always croaking to the nurses about something
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to die
slang
to stop living
I wouldn't go around saying your great-grandmother "croaked"
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3
as in to kill
slang
to deprive of life
"I croaked the old bugger," he bragged
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4
as in to assassinate
slang
to put to death deliberately
hooligans had croaked the street corner wino just for the hell of it
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of croak
Aratus, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Rose does sing the song’s iconic chorus, but instrumentally, the song is nearly all Sly, with additional electric piano by star keyboardist Billy Preston and some guitar croaks from rising soul hitmaker Bobby Womack.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 13 June 2025
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2025
The moms chattered and laughed and sang, while the birds made a croaking sound.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for croak
Verb
And crows will mimic the crystalline splashing of rain yet to come, or after two deep croaks
will set up a whir with furious wingbeats.
—Aratus, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Rose does sing the song’s iconic chorus, but instrumentally, the song is nearly all Sly, with additional electric piano by star keyboardist Billy Preston and some guitar croaks from rising soul hitmaker Bobby Womack.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 13 June 2025
Noun
There was intense, excruciating pain written all over the faces and croaking in the voices because it’s supposed to hurt when something this good comes to an end.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2025
The moms chattered and laughed and sang, while the birds made a croaking sound.
—Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for croak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for croak
Verb
-
In that appearance, Thilly moonwalked across the floor and performed a backspin before using his allotted five minutes to complain about rising taxes, according to CBS News New York.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Another woman, 59, complained of back pain, per the outlets.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The baby, who initially made good progress after the surgery, died 20 days later.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The medical examiner on Friday determined that the student died by suicide.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, the demon baby then proceeded to brutally rip apart and kill Teddy, Phil, and Susie, leaving only Lilly and Ronnie alive before the credits rolled.—
Megan McCluskey,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Israel’s offensive in Gaza, launched in response to the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas’s attack on southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and laid waste to swaths of territory.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Trump was close to Abe, who was assassinated after leaving office.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
25 Oct. 2025
-
After he was assassinated in September at Utah Valley University, the first stop on his tour, TPUSA announced Carlson would speak at IU instead.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
22 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
According to outlets Airlive and Travel and Tour World, crews on board issued an emergency squawk code 7600.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
22 Sep. 2025
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Yet, leading up to the show, the squawks from the models sounded more like practical concerns than diva demands.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The wide-leg pants have just the right amount of stretch and come in a trendy brown shade that screams autumnal fashion.—
Melony Forcier,
Travel + Leisure,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Sundae screamed, and the whole motel heard her.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
All told, hundreds of thousands perished.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The books of ancient Alexandria seem to have perished mainly by rot and neglect, not in a single blaze.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The Japanese battleship Musashi, one of the largest ever built, was destroyed.—
Arizona Republic,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Russian air defense systems destroyed one drone heading for Moscow, the city’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Sunday, according to Reuters.—
Laura Sharman,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Croak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/croak. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
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