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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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
An animal’s croaking rides away with the wind, and two sparrows rise from the reeds. — Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026 The track — with its croaking guitar, cymbal smashes, and stuttering vocals — sounds nothing like Brat’s gleaming, clubby gems (or the bouncy pop-punk of her 2014 LP Sucker, for that matter). — Caryn Ganz, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026 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
  • Now life was like that; some days fine and firm and full of whatever, while other days the hoarse bark of the neighbors’ dog or a friend’s grim diagnosis and her body succumbed to an emotional gravity that pulled her into a free fall.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Singers didn’t want their voices to get hoarse over the long night or week.
    — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of hoarse
Verb
  • That would drive up yields on French bonds, making borrowing to fund that spending even more expensive—and thus worsen the problem that the rioters are complaining about.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Voters are not going to make legislators do a better job by grumbling and complaining.
    — Scott Warren, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of complaining
Verb
  • Proponents say these are projects California communities are dying to build, hampered by cost increases and delays from CEQA litigation.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • In 2020, Fauci, newly famous as the COVID pandemic’s explainer-in-chief, called Kramer, who was dying.
    — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of dying
Verb
  • In a small Idaho town, a young mother is accused of killing her young twins.
    — Glenn Thrush Eric Schmitt Liam Stack Tim Balk, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Lack of preparation Eight weeks after the UAE withdrawal, the US and Israel launched a war on Iran, killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
    — Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of killing
Verb
  • The Lahis case nevertheless established an early precedent for leniency toward an Israeli soldier convicted of murdering Arab civilians.
    — Tamir Sorek, The Conversation, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Caleb Flynn, a pastor who competed on American Idol season 12, has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole for murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, AP News reports.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of murdering
Adjective
  • Over three decades in stand-up comedy, Bill Burr has gained a reputation for saying, with gruff conviction and political fire, the thing on everyone’s mind.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • We were taught by a gruff cockney called Fred Waring, who had participated in the D-Day landings in a regiment that had fought its way across Europe towards Berlin and liberated the concentration camp at Belsen.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of gruff
Verb
  • Research on hitting objects does not support it as a way to reduce anger, and there are too few studies of screaming to conclude its effects.
    — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Onstage, Slayyyter, whose real name is Catherine Grace Garner, is a force, constantly moving around the stage, thrashing her head along to the music and screaming the lyrics to her songs.
    — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of screaming
Verb
  • The disruption has sent transits through the straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb falling sharply after mostly recovering to their pre-war levels.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This all comes at a time when supply is falling — and falling faster than demand is recovering.
    — Diana Olick, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of falling

Browse Nearby Words

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 17 Oct. 2026.

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