Dictionary.com

clank

[ klangk ]
/ klæŋk /
Save This Word!

noun
a sharp, hard, nonresonant sound, like that produced by two pieces of metal striking, one against the other: the clank of chains; the clank of an iron gate slamming shut.
verb (used without object)
to make such a sound.
to move with such sounds: The old jalopy clanked up the hill.
verb (used with object)
to cause to make a sharp sound, as metal in collision: He clanked the shovel against the pail.
to place, put, set, etc., with a clank: to clank the cell door shut.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of clank

First recorded in 1605–15, clank is from the Dutch word klank sound

OTHER WORDS FROM clank

clank·ing·ly, adverbclank·ing·ness, nounclankless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clank in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for clank

clank
/ (klæŋk) /

noun
an abrupt harsh metallic sound
verb
to make or cause to make such a sound
(intr) to move or operate making such a sound

Derived forms of clank

clankingly, adverb

Word Origin for clank

C17: of imitative origin
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
FEEDBACK