as in hoarse
harsh and dry in sound
a croaking voice from smoking too many cigarettes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the cranky patient was always croaking to the nurses about something
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dying
slang
to stop living
I wouldn't go around saying your great-grandmother "croaked"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in killing
slang
to deprive of life
"I croaked the old bugger," he bragged
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in murdering
slang
to put to death deliberately
hooligans had croaked the street corner wino just for the hell of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of croaking
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
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
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
Adjective
-
The quality of a live show, especially one from a legacy band like Journey, comes down to whether the fans leave satisfied: If diehards and casuals alike walk out of the building with grins and hoarse voices from singing along to the big numbers, that’s a successful outing.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Tears have been shed, throats have been screamed hoarse.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This is why all the whining and complaining from small market teams across the sport is manipulative nonsense.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
There was crying, complaining, dissociating and even laughing on those couches.—
Wendy C. Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Call did get up in time to return the ball to the infield, but the Giants scored a run on what was scored as a sacrifice fly, then another run on a dying fly ball that dropped just in front of Tucker for a single.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The 48-year-old killer of the MIT physicist, who in a video confession expressed vague grievances dating back to his early adulthood, also shot 11 people at Brown University, killing two, before dying by suicide.—
Dan Adler,
Vanity Fair,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In some cases, the frost is severe enough to end the growing season and is then referred to as a 'killing frost'.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Mack was sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing her mother, while Schaefer, who admitted fatally beating von Wiese-Mack but claimed self defense, received an 18-year prison term.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bukele has accused them of murdering 200,000 people, including about 80,000 who disappeared without a trace.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Israel has been murdering Palestinians for decades and is now committing genocide—and for the third year running, they’re welcomed back onto the stage.—
Kiana Mickles,
Pitchfork,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Leslie and her gruff-but-caring, staunch Libertarian boss Ron Swanson (the incomparable Nick Offerman) became symbols of bygone bipartisanship, not to mention endless memes.—
Jennifer Armstrong,
IndieWire,
15 Apr. 2026
-
And Zendaya, as to be expected, really, is fantastic, slipping effortlessly under the skin of the gruff addict in recovery, trying to claw her way out of an increasingly deep hole.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On the Sonora stage Sunday, the 22-year-old Newark rapper-producer who arrived at the current screaming catharsis via a circuit of molting SoundCloud-era microgenres was at once dangerously commanding and euphoric while tearing through highlights from last year’s Revengeseekerz.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
21 Apr. 2026
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The pressures of fame and the pains of Michael’s brand of friendlessness are barely explored, beyond the requisite scenes of screaming fans crowding outside the family estate and a terrified Michael attempting to get away from them (while still politely waving).—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The school calendar’s architects also had the benefit of a number of school holidays falling over weekends, including Rosh Hashanah, Diwali and Juneteenth.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Officials said seven of the victims were struck by gunfire, while others were hurt in the chaos as people scrambled to get down from the pyramids, with some falling during the panic.—
Bradford Betz,
FOXNews.com,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Croaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/croaking. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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