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
-
to make slight, sudden, sharp noises, rapidly repeated.
-
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)
-
crackled,
past participle, past
-
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
-
is cracklingprogressive
-
have been cracklingperfect progressive
-
has been cracklingperfect progressive
Past
-
crackledsimple
-
had crackledperfect
-
was cracklingprogressive
-
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:
Inside a cool, dimly lighted trailer where the quiet is broken mostly by the crackle of radio traffic, Abrin Vasquez drives a 40-ton bulldozer hundreds of yards away.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
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
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
She sits on one of the beds and jostles it, listening to the straw crackle.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
In this “multilayered police procedural,” Tom Nolan writes, Mr. Johnson has produced tale that crackles with “verve, satire and rage.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Everyone laughs and a few people nod knowingly as pops and crackles erupt from all over the room.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2025
She received the muffled four-word confirmation over static crackles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 11, 2025
"I've since been back to the GP as my breathing is still painful and he has found crackles in my lungs," Mrs Hollingworth said.
From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2025
The night crackles electrically, the front thunders like a concert of drums.
From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque
Another bushfire near the small town of Walwa crackled with lightning as it radiated enough heat to form a localised thunderstorm, fire authorities said.
From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026
Against her blue hair and bold, pink doll-head suit, the orange backdrop crackled with energy — it was perfect.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2025
Around 11 p.m., communication suddenly crackled back to life.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
A moment everyone remembers is the time a very young Christina Aguilera played a Lilith sidestage, and the crew radios crackled with excitement and encouragement to not miss it.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025
With every snap of his finger the sterile paper crackled, the bandage jumped.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
But on his new solo album, “Thrasher,” he trades the Killers’ gleaming, synth-laced rock for the crackling sound of hand-played country music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Simon soon picks up a handheld CRT device to help with sneaking - a clever updated version of another staple of the Silent Hill series: the crackling radio.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Gone are the vivid blues and warm oranges and greens, crackling against film grain, that did so much heavy lifting for the first film’s leaden plot.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Wisps of smoke rose from charred or crackling tree trunks between Le Porge and the village of Lege-Cap-Ferret to the south, AFP journalists said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
A crackling noise grinds from the sound boxes perched in the stairwell corners.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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