clank
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
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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
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clanksimple
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clankssimple
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have clankedperfect
-
has clankedperfect
-
am clankingprogressive
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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:
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
"It feels like a prison," he says as the gates clank shut behind him.
From BBC ● Dec. 8, 2025
The early scenes have a certain ponderous solemnity as two hunter-warrior-predator brothers from the Yautja race fight for honor with weapons that combine the clank of all things medieval with modern pizzazz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 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
The ner-vous whinny of horses and the clank of steel guided them back to Renly's camp.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
With sweaty insecurity, Tucker steps on his punchlines and clanks the setups.
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
Yet they can’t do any of this while Westbrook and his clanks and his complaining are allowed to create a sort of mud into which this shiny new car’s back tires are sinking.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2022
We discern distinct melodies linking the clanks and buzzes of Song Sparrow songs, sentencelike structure in the Red-winged Blackbird’s pronouncement of conk-la-ree! and a cheery whistle in the wide-open-beaked songs of the White-throated Sparrow.
From Scientific American ● May 4, 2022
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
Effie sniffs as the door clanks closed behind us.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Azurá Stevens and Cameron Brink were strong in the key early, but the Sparks clanked jumpers, dribbled into traffic and watched offensive possessions die on the rim in addition to committing eight first-quarter turnovers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
“John Cage would like this,” she said, gesturing at us with the ever-present two cigarettes in her hand, as forks clanked on plates.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
He smiled as another shell clanked into the dumpster.
From New York Times ● Jul. 6, 2023
His drive clanked off the foul pole in front of the second deck, turning a Yankees runaway into what became an Orioles thriller.
From Washington Times ● May 25, 2023
The dungeon door clanked shut, leaving the prisoners staring at the pile of uncut stones in the flickering light.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
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
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
The air thrums with the din of destruction — giant excavators clanking against steel beams, trucks bleating out warning signals as they back into position, green organic material whooshing out of hoses onto finished sites.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2025
In the black distance there was a faint sound of metal clanking, screeching.
From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli
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.
