cackle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to utter a shrill, broken sound or cry, as of a hen.
-
to laugh in a shrill, broken manner.
-
to chatter noisily; prattle.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
the act or sound of cackling.
-
chatter; idle talk.
verb
-
(intr) (esp of a hen) to squawk with shrill notes
-
(intr) to laugh or chatter raucously
-
(tr) to utter in a cackling manner
noun
-
the noise or act of cackling
-
noisy chatter
-
informal to stop chattering; be quiet
Other Word Forms
- cackler noun
Etymology
Origin of cackle
1175–1225; Middle English cakelen; cognate with Dutch kakelen, Low German kakeln, Swedish kackla
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.
She grabs her head and pulls at her hair as she cackles.
From Literature
It was the spooky Madame herself, cackling merrily in the doorway to her shed.
From Literature
If you don't know her, you're likely to know her famous cackle which has become her trademark.
From BBC
Those stereotypes might bring to mind images of black hats, broomsticks and cackling over cauldrons, common in much media.
From BBC
“The sound of her humiliating cackle still haunts me,” Morticia tells her daughter, recounting the experience of her own mom, Hester, reading one of her earlier manuscripts and shaming her for it.
From Salon
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.
