crackle
Americanverb (used without object)
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crackles,
present (3rd person singular)
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crackled,
past participle, past
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crackling
present participle
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to make slight, sudden, sharp noises, rapidly repeated.
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to form a network of fine cracks on the surface.
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(of ceramic glaze) to craze.
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to exhibit liveliness, vibrancy, anticipation, etc..
The play crackled with wit.
verb (used with object)
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crackles,
present (3rd person singular)
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crackled,
past participle, past
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crackling
present participle
-
to cause to crackle.
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to break with a crackling noise.
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to craze (ceramic glaze).
noun
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the act of crackling.
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a crackling noise.
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a network of fine cracks, as in the glaze of some kinds of porcelain.
verb
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to make or cause to make a series of slight sharp noises, as of paper being crushed or of a wood fire burning
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(tr) to decorate (porcelain or pottery) by causing a fine network of cracks to appear in the glaze
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(intr) to abound in vivacity or energy
noun
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the act or sound of crackling
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intentional crazing in the glaze of a piece of porcelain or pottery
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Also called: crackleware. porcelain or pottery so decorated
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cracklesimple
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cracklessimple
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have crackledperfect
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has crackledperfect
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am cracklingprogressive
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are cracklingprogressive
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is cracklingprogressive
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have been cracklingperfect progressive
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has been cracklingperfect progressive
Past
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crackledsimple
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had crackledperfect
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was cracklingprogressive
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were cracklingprogressive
-
had been cracklingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of crackle
Explanation
To crackle is to make short, sharp cracking noises. A roaring fire in your wood stove crackles as it burns. Fires crackle, as small branches pop and snap from the heat, and a voice over an intercom might crackle with static. You could also describe the sound of your feet on dried leaves and branches as you walk through the woods as a crackle. A visual crackle, as opposed to one you hear, appears as tiny cracks in the surface: "I like that crackle effect on your table."
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:
The beeping of damaged cars and the crackle of downed electrical wires echoed through streets that were otherwise eerily quiet.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
When he sat up, he heard the skin on his stomach crackle.
From Slate ● May 13, 2026
But behind the crackle of commands issued from towers and facilities, many controllers are silently struggling, according to interviews with more than two dozen current and former controllers, medical experts, industry officials and lawmakers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
We go inside people’s private dreams that are shot like old filmstrips and deteriorate with a snap, crackle and pop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
Those on the ground could hear the roar and crackle as the volatile hydrocarbons flamed high above.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Everyone laughs and a few people nod knowingly as pops and crackles erupt from all over the room.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025
But there's a moment just before the curtain rises, when the stage is still, the lights dim, and there's a silence that crackles with a mixture of tension and anticipation.
From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2025
“And lo and behold, just like if you sprinkle a bunch of rosemary on a pizza and put it under the broiler and it crackles and sparkles, and then very rapidly goes out,” Fleming said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 9, 2025
Except the story crackles with little distortions: Mirrors and bird cages appear with eerie frequency, paintings vanish from a wall, and other oddities complicate the narrative.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2024
The imprint of the doe faded away with every blink of his eyes as he stood there, listening to the sounds of the forest, to distant crackles of twigs, soft swishes of snow.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
As a man with a booming voice who gave his name only as Sheriff slammed down a piece to the groans of other players, artillery crackled in the distance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
A desperate voice crackled down the phone -- Mariano Nkogo Mba Nchama's 22-year-old son pleaded for help to get home to Equatorial Guinea from Ukraine, where he is fighting for the Russian army.
From Barron's ● Apr. 13, 2026
On the final night, on the frozen shores of the Hudson Bay, they set up camp next to an abandoned trading post as the ice crackled beneath them while the northern lights danced above.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026
Thunder and lightning crackled over the strobing sky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025
The fire in the dare crackled as a breeze came up from the stream.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Brushing his hand over crackling vine leaves, French winemaker Gregory Guibergia was relieved a wildfire only scorched the edge of his vineyard but he feared its smoke would ruin this year's vintage.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Flames roared through crackling pine trees on Thursday as a wildfire gained ground on the coast of southwestern France, forcing more than 20,000 tourists and residents to flee to safety.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Steak leans into its vintage charm with dark lighting, a crackling fireplace and a distinctly romantic atmosphere.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
But there were also thousands of local families gathered at the stadium with a crackling sense of anticipation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
And then suddenly—WHOOSH—they were out of the scalding heat, out of the roaring, crackling din of the inferno.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Definitions 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.
