croaks 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of croak
1
as in complains
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 dies
slang to stop living I wouldn't go around saying your great-grandmother "croaked"

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

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4
as in assassinates
slang to put to death deliberately hooligans had croaked the street corner wino just for the hell of it

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croaks

2 of 2

noun

plural of croak
as in chirps

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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 croaks
Verb
Males also begin their chorus of throaty croaks in hopes of attracting a willing mate. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026 Participants will be trained to learn the chirps and croaks of various local frog and toad species, then commit to going out to a particular piece of the watershed near their homes a couple of nights per month to listen for the frogs and toads and record their absence or presence. — Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for croaks
  1. complains
  2. dies
  3. kills
  4. assassinates
  5. cackles
  6. screams
  7. falls
  8. destroys
Verb
  • Her boyfriend Tom Arnold becomes a writer/producer and complains that someone there stole his love letters and sold out his steamy relationship with Roseanne to the National Enquirer.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Parent complains about the circumstances Lechner sent an email to the athletic director two days later asking whether a transgender student had participated in the game, and whether that student had access to the same locker room as his daughter.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of complains
Verb
  • One in five people who contract Vibrio Vulnificus — a species of the bacteria that causes necrotizing fasciitis, a condition in which the flesh around a wound dies — typically die, according to the Center for Disease Control.
    — Eva Flowe October 21, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • When a whale dies and sinks to the ocean floor, its carcass provides sustenance for deep-sea organisms for centuries, triggering a shockwave of life.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of dies
Verb
  • In the end, Matt kills everybody who wronged him (plus several innocent people), and is forced to live as a reclusive mud monster in the sewers.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Crime, courts and policing A man kills his teenage ex-girlfriend in Arcadia and then shoots himself.
    — Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of kills
Verb
  • That assassinates Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sparking retaliatory attacks by Iran across the Middle East.
    — Jill Lawrence, Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2026
  • Soleimani assassination | Trump orders a drone strike in Iraq that assassinates Qasem Soleimani, an influential Iranian military commander.
    — Erin Mansfield, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026
Definition of assassinates
Noun
  • The doc is similarly unflinching in showing the horrific scene from 1900 in which Donald Sutherland’s sadistic fascist murders a young boy in a shockingly callous way, while Laura Betti as his equal in cruelty dissolves into blood-curdling cackles.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Her performance presents as camp, but her dynamic range of loud cackles and quiet glances is fabulous.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of cackles
Verb
  • Video of the service captures screams erupting inside the church as worshippers ran to his side and called for help.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • In Whalefall, Abrams screams and thrashes with the same vulnerability, and a few more inner demons.
    — Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of screams
Verb
  • When carb intake falls sharply, the liver turns fat into ketones, an alternative fuel for the brain and other tissues that may cause less metabolic stress.
    — Rowan Jacobsen, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Bangladesh’s experience shows the challenge of containing an outbreak when vaccination coverage falls below 95%, a level the WHO says is needed to prevent outbreaks.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of falls
Verb
  • These include immune amnesia, a type of immunosuppression in which the measles virus destroys immune cells and adaptive responses.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Cash flow is a timing problem, not a sales problem, and that difference destroys companies that look profitable on paper.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of destroys

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croaks
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Cite this Entry

“Croaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/croaks. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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