clank
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
-
clanks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clanked,
past participle, past
-
clanking
present participle
-
to make such a sound.
-
to move with such sounds.
The old jalopy clanked up the hill.
verb (used with object)
-
clanks,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clanked,
past participle, past
-
clanking
present participle
-
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.
noun
verb
-
to make or cause to make such a sound
-
(intr) to move or operate making such a sound
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
clanksimple
-
clankssimple
-
have clankedperfect
-
has clankedperfect
-
am clankingprogressive
-
are clankingprogressive
-
is clankingprogressive
-
have been clankingperfect progressive
-
has been clankingperfect progressive
Past
-
clankedsimple
-
had clankedperfect
-
was clankingprogressive
-
were clankingprogressive
-
had been clankingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clank
First recorded in 1605–15, clank is from the Dutch word klank sound
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:
However, the clank of granite went against them in the seventh, an unfortunate bounce leaving Canada the chance of three, which they gladly took.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
It’s already quite hot inside my shoebox apartment as the radiators clank away, drowning out my upstairs neighbor’s heavy footsteps with their cacophonous symphony.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2026
The clank of this supposed breakthrough idea is as inelegant as the meandering storytelling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
Inspired by the raw, noisy clank of Jeru the Damaja’s 1993 East Coast hit “Come Clean,” “Cell Therapy” was built on a swirl of dub-inflected noise and an icy piano riff.
From New York Times ● Apr. 15, 2024
Her purse fell out of her hands and hit the floor with a muted clank as she put her arms around Pita.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
It could be a ball that clanks off the roof and into play instead of flying into the stands for a home run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Mr. Rasmussen makes Douglass’s conversion vivid and persuasive; Mr. Rebeiro exposes its jurisprudential machinery with impressive precision, even when that machinery clanks a little.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
The barge also retains fixtures from Panto’s days: Patinated rigging blocks hang from the ceiling; a century-old bell clanks when the barge jerks.
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
Saturday’s game was filled with a lot more clanks than swishes for Seattle U. But as basketball coaches often say, offense can come and go.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 19, 2022
She clanks pots and then turns on the faucet.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
“If they clanked, which a lot of them did.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
All 11 of her previous attempts had clanked away or rimmed out or missed altogether, a slump eerily reminiscent of the 0-for-10 start that struck unexpectedly against Minnesota on Jan. 30.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2025
Mittelstadt’s goal, batted out of the air, clanked off the front of the mask of Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, one of the league’s best goalies, off Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon and into the net.
From Seattle Times ● May 2, 2024
He smiled as another shell clanked into the dumpster.
From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2023
When the door clanked shut, some of the men cried out.
From "Prisoner B-3087" by Alan Gratz
As the din of clanking metal dims, the smell of grease and exhaust lingers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
We watched him operate a vintage letterpress, the mechanisms whirring and clanking like a steam engine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
Eventually, others could be heard speaking loudly and dishes clanking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2026
As a bonus, I’d learn a few things while she availed herself of uninterrupted free time, which wasn’t really free, since I’d often hear a running vacuum or dishes clanking in the sink.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2026
It’s a bare white box and big clanking pipes and one framed show poster from a production of Grand Hotel at Walnut Street Theater.
From "Better Nate Than Ever" by Tim Federle
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