croaking 1 of 2

adjective

as in hoarse
harsh and dry in sound a croaking voice from smoking too many cigarettes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

croaking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of croak
1
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely the cranky patient was always croaking to the nurses about something

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2
as in dying
slang to stop living I wouldn't go around saying your great-grandmother "croaked"

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3
as in killing
slang to deprive of life "I croaked the old bugger," he bragged

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4
as in murdering
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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of croaking
Adjective
Their croaking involves pushing air over vocal cords into a thin membrane known as a vocal sac that inflates under the chin. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
This process magnifies the croaking, resulting in a surprising volume of sound considering the size of the small frogs. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026 Ravens circle overhead, croaking at my presence in defiance. — Josh Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for croaking
  1. hoarse
  2. complaining
  3. dying
  4. killing
  5. murdering
  6. gruff
  7. screaming
  8. falling
Adjective
  • The other was a tearing beauty, a creature so lovely that one look at her sent young men’s blood pressure skyward and set them to uttering wild, hoarse cries and tearing telephone directories apart with the bare hands.
    — John Madson, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026
  • Others walked home sunburned, hoarse and still dressed in blue and orange.
    — C.J. Holmes, New York Daily News, 18 June 2026
Definition of hoarse
Verb
  • Gal and Amora barely know each other, and Jaiden and Caleb have been complaining about one another for the past three days.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 6 July 2026
  • Also, the ocean offers genuine advantages, such as stable temperatures, an abundance of undisputed land, and no neighbors complaining about noise.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 5 July 2026
Definition of complaining
Verb
  • Tielemans then converted a penalty in the dying minutes of extra time to seal a thrilling 3-2 win.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 July 2026
  • Actor Charlie Gordon portrays a young boy from a merchant family who was threatened by Ormund into dying his hair blond and posing as Daeron in order to keep the real prince safe.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 6 July 2026
Definition of dying
Verb
  • Murdaugh, once a powerful personal injury attorney in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, was convicted in 2023 of killing his wife, Maggie, 52, and their younger son, Paul, 22, at the family’s hunting estate in June 2021.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
  • Shiite and Sunni Muslims have been killing each other for centuries, and the status of women in some Muslims countries is deplorable.
    — Kenneth Seeskin, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of killing
Verb
  • She was eventually charged with murdering nine people, including several of her tenants.
    — Selome Hailu, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • He was charged with murder with the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and murdering a witness.
    — Dennis Broad, NBC news, 7 July 2026
Definition of murdering
Adjective
  • Abraham Lincoln furiously scribbled in Springfield on June 27, 1858, firing off a gruff note to the editor-in-chief of the Chicago Press & Tribune, then in business for only 11 years.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 2026
  • But Rose bet that a less gruff voice, ultimately Mike Brown’s, was required to win it all.
    — Sean Gregory, Time, 14 June 2026
Definition of gruff
Verb
  • From the outset of the selloff earlier this year, Jim Cramer was screaming from the rooftops that cyber should never have been lumped into run-of-the-mill enterprise software.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 7 July 2026
  • There were no vendors hawking bootleg royal-wedding merch, no screaming lines of fans, not even that many impromptu sing-alongs (some were solicited by journalists looking for content).
    — Zach Schiffman, Curbed, 6 July 2026
Definition of screaming
Verb
  • The skyscraper has been the subject of multiple complaints, including allegations of falling debris and unsafe conditions, records show.
    — Kelly McCleary, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
  • After receiving a report of bricks falling from the 37-story building, fire officials said two columns had buckled on the 21st and 22nd floors, while floors were sagging between the 21st and 26th floors.
    — Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Definition of falling

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croakers
croaking
croaks
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Cite this Entry

“Croaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/croaking. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on croaking

Nglish: Translation of croaking for Spanish Speakers

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