clunk
Americannoun
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a blow or the sound of a blow
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a dull metallic sound
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a dull or stupid person
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the gurgling sound of a liquid
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the sound of a cork being removed from a bottle
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verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clunksimple
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clunkssimple
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have clunkedperfect
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has clunkedperfect
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am clunkingprogressive
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are clunkingprogressive
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is clunkingprogressive
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have been clunkingperfect progressive
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has been clunkingperfect progressive
Past
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clunkedsimple
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had clunkedperfect
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was clunkingprogressive
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were clunkingprogressive
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had been clunkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clunk
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Riders and drivers took increasingly elaborate swerves to avoid the wince-inducing jolts of a full-on pothole clunk.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
At times, I found myself fantasizing about nothing else in the world but the satisfying clunk of a torrent of ice from a self-serve soda fountain.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2023
“When we heard our first clunk, that was such a relief,” Price recalled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
I’ve found the gear shifting to be smooth far more often than not, albeit with the very occasional clunk.
From The Verge ● Dec. 8, 2020
The soft clunk of pool balls diverted my attention.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
At no point is Desiree’s identity presented in a way that clunks with “very special episode” messaging or talking points.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2025
In the back room of the threadbare offices of the Irish soccer team Bohemians, the printer clunks and chugs and whirs incessantly, spitting out a cascade of shipping labels.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2024
He had only two hours rest the night before, and he remains sound asleep until the vehicle makes it back to base and the heavy steel handle by his ear clunks open.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2022
But, like a 10-year-old Prius, the state’s strategy is showing its age, gathering problems and, as it clunks along, crying out for a tune-up.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 3, 2016
I pull out a chair, which clunks along the patio tiles.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
After the robots noisily clunked down the stairs, the strangeness of the encounter began to fade.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The scene that best defines the story’s idealism happens long before Dunk gets clunked in the head or skewered by a lance.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026
The Bengals clunked to a 4-11-1 finish amid the chaos and confusion of the pandemic.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 8, 2022
At first, I was so nervous that I clunked a few easy returns.
From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2021
“He is so creepy'? Parvati whispered as Moody clunked away. “I don’t think that eye should be allowed!”
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Daniels strode briskly to the stand, not looking at Trump, her shoes clunking on the floor.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2024
Members moved from a vision of a greener, smooth-running Scotland in the P&J Arena to the city centre, and a clunking re-engagement with a very different reality on the rails.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2022
It’s nice to see emails clunking into the box with people’s thoughts and concerns, hopes and dreams, wants and fears, wry asides, pessimistic wails, cries from the heart.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2021
Foul balls clunking loudly upon landing in the seats.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 24, 2020
Laughing and breathless, she touched the tree just seconds before Jojo did, her lunch bucket clunking against the trunk.
From "Stella by Starlight" by Sharon M. Draper
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
