1
as in complains
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 dies
slang
to stop living
I wouldn't go around saying your great-grandmother "croaked"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in kills
slang
to deprive of life
"I croaked the old bugger," he bragged
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in assassinates
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for croaks
Verb
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People tend to get involved once a problem becomes visible – when a price looks wrong, a transaction is flagged or a customer complains.—
Murugan Anandarajan,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026 -
In any work setting, there’s a person who sits around the table and complains about what’s wrong with the company, and then, when the boss walks in, that same person is over there pouring coffee, quiet as a church mouse.—
Willie Colon,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The aunt dies, and heartbroken Lord Marlowe decamps for America.—
Sandra Dallas,
Denver Post,
24 Jan. 2026
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Fashion designer Valentino dies at 93 Valentino Garavani, Italian fashion designer to the stars, has died at 93.—
Michael Smith,
USA Today,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bystander videos, like the ones taken of Pretti, have played a key role for decades in informing the public when law enforcement kills or injures people.—
Ava Berger,
NPR,
28 Jan. 2026
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The film follows a quiet inmate arriving at a violent Indonesian prison with a supernatural entity that kills those with the darkest auras.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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An emergency immigration hotline took a call from Delaney Hall in which the operator heard screams in the background.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
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Nothing screams 2016 quite like the flower crown, and Eva Longoria served face in this flawless selfie.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The cold air is then expected to stay in place through the beginning of February, ensuring that whatever snow falls this weekend will stay on the ground for a while.—
Matthew Villafane,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
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Only one other player has been ever elected by the writers with 1,500 or fewer hits — Roy Campanella (1,422) in 1969 — and that total falls far short of the average career hit mark for all Hall of Fame batters, which is 2,330.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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An excuse or explanation by itself, even while being transparent, destroys trust.—
Shep Hyken,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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Beyond the immediate loss of land, erosion frequently exposes or destroys historic and archaeological sites.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Perez, a 63-year-old transient man, was convicted of the child murders from 1992 through 2001 throughout Central and Northern California, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Gun murders rare Until Sunday, Australia had decades of proof that tough gun laws can make a country safer with one of the world’s lowest gun homicide rates, per capita.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Every soldier Harry would have saved on a transport during the war perishes too.—
Margaret Heidenry,
Vanity Fair,
24 Dec. 2025
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Factory ships deplete fisheries in a matter of years and an inordinate amount of sea life also perishes in their nets.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
12 Aug. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Croaks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/croaks. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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