crackle

[ krak-uhl ]
See synonyms for crackle on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),crack·led, crack·ling.
  1. to make slight, sudden, sharp noises, rapidly repeated.

  2. to form a network of fine cracks on the surface.

  1. (of ceramic glaze) to craze.

  2. to exhibit liveliness, vibrancy, anticipation, etc.: The play crackled with wit.

verb (used with object),crack·led, crack·ling.
  1. to cause to crackle.

  2. to break with a crackling noise.

  1. to craze (ceramic glaze).

noun
  1. the act of crackling.

  2. a crackling noise.

  1. a network of fine cracks, as in the glaze of some kinds of porcelain.

Origin of crackle

1
First recorded in 1490–1500; crack + -le

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use crackle in a sentence

  • The fire crackled around the Dutch ovens, and the odor of coffee came floating by.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • They could not make Carlo come near the fire: he was afraid of it, it crackled and sputtered so.

  • Then he approached cautiously toward the spot where the camp fire crackled and blazed.

    The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
  • Dreary as it was without, all was comfortable within-doors, and a cheery (one-and-sixpenny) fire crackled in the grate.

  • Then they crackled among the brush, and she held them down and got excited over it, and for an instant forgot Poole's Woods.

    Country Neighbors | Alice Brown

British Dictionary definitions for crackle

crackle

/ (ˈkrækəl) /


verb
  1. to make or cause to make a series of slight sharp noises, as of paper being crushed or of a wood fire burning

  2. (tr) to decorate (porcelain or pottery) by causing a fine network of cracks to appear in the glaze

  1. (intr) to abound in vivacity or energy

noun
  1. the act or sound of crackling

  2. intentional crazing in the glaze of a piece of porcelain or pottery

  1. Also called: crackleware porcelain or pottery so decorated

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012