1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the cranky patient was always croaking to the nurses about something
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to kill
slang
to deprive of life
"I croaked the old bugger," he bragged
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of croak
David Amsden, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Dec. 2025
But longtime church organist Alice Glick, who started in 1991's Season 2 (when the first George Bush was president), croaked.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 26 Dec. 2025
Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for croak
Verb
Come nightfall, the chatter of a dizzying array of bird species (tanagers, toucans, motmots) gives way to a symphony of croaking frogs.
—David Amsden, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Dec. 2025
But longtime church organist Alice Glick, who started in 1991's Season 2 (when the first George Bush was president), croaked.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 26 Dec. 2025
Noun
The men stood frowning at each other and then back at Adi until the one without the gun broke into croaks of laughter.
—Jonathan Miles, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for croak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for croak
Verb
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Meanwhile, a parent of an underage Vibe customer also complained to authorities that his 17-year-old son and his son's friend were able to purchase kratom products with a fake ID and, at times, without an ID at all.—
Logan Smith,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
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Residents near the Plaskolite site have long complained about odors from the plant, according to an air monitoring study sponsored by the state.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Marcia Lucas, Academy Award-winning film editor, died at the age of 80, AP News reports.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
30 May 2026
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Kelly Curtis, an actress, documentarian and daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, died Saturday morning, her younger sister, Jamie Lee Curtis, announced.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Verb
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In recent months security forces have killed a string of top Maoists and the rank-and-file are laying down their weapons.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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At the same time that the GKN situation was unraveling, the rupture of a chemical tank containing a different chemical mixture killed 11 people at a paper mill in Washington state.—
Jason Henry,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
That version of the city crumbled on April 9, 1948, when, just across the street, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, one of the most popular politicians in Colombian history, was assassinated.—
Roberto Andrés,
The Dial,
28 May 2026
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Eleven days later, Israel assassinated his successor in a subsequent strike.—
Dana Karni,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Noun
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He was missed — especially vocally — since Gill’s angelic voice does not, in any way shape or form, resemble Walsh’s charmingly out-of-pitch squawk-talk style.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Toy keyboard plinks and saxophone squawks spiral over a booming racket of drums in the ether, slyly threatening to collapse, like an elaborate plate-spinning act.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On the witness stand, the teenager was reportedly combative and flustered by Jackson’s attorney Tom Mesereau, who attempted to poke holes in Gavin’s testimony and allegedly screamed at the boy throughout.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
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Jay practically embarrassed Mase, then a pop rapper at Bad Boy Records, not by screaming but by sounding amused.—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 June 2026
Verb
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Authorities have publicly identified four people who lost their lives over the last week in San Diego County traffic crashes, with three of the victims perishing in head-on collisions in the eastern reaches of the region.—
City News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 May 2026
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Even if media themselves don’t perish, media industries can and often do.—
Wyatt Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Fueled by large stocks of critically dry vegetation and extreme winds, the fires killed 31 people, destroyed nearly 12,000 homes, and forced over 150,000 evacuations.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
31 May 2026
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But satellite images reviewed by CNN show how Iran has used simple equipment such as bulldozers and dump trucks to counter those costly campaigns — suggesting that Tehran’s missile capabilities can’t be destroyed just by targeting tunnel entrances, experts said.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Croak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/croak. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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