cluck
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to utter the cry of a hen brooding or calling her chicks.
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to make a similar sound; express concern, approval, etc., by such a sound.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the sound uttered by a hen when brooding, or in calling her chicks.
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any clucking sound.
noun
noun
verb
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(intr) (of a hen) to make a clicking sound
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(tr) to call or express (a feeling) by making a similar sound
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clucksimple
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cluckssimple
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have cluckedperfect
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has cluckedperfect
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am cluckingprogressive
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are cluckingprogressive
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is cluckingprogressive
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have been cluckingperfect progressive
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has been cluckingperfect progressive
Past
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cluckedsimple
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had cluckedperfect
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was cluckingprogressive
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were cluckingprogressive
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had been cluckingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cluck1
1475–85; variant of clock 1 (now dial. and Scot), Middle English clokken, Old English cloccian to cluck; cognate with Dutch klokken
Origin of cluck2
1900–05, special use of cluck 1
Explanation
The sound a chicken makes is a cluck. One of the best things about keeping chickens in your yard is watching them scratch the dirt and listening to their clucks. A chicken or hen clucks when she's rounding up her chicks, making a short, relatively deep sound. To do this is also to cluck, and you can use the word to talk about a fussy or overprotective parent too: "It's so funny watching him cluck over his kids at the playground." The Old English root of cluck is cloccian, and both words are imitative — they echo the sound they're describing.
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.
"This was a substantial decision for us, but we believe it's the right strategic move," says Raza Hashim, Cluck Clucks CEO.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2025
Cluck your tongue at my misfortune; meditate on my pain.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2022
“There was definitely some kind of precious metal based on the readings of the instruments at the site,” attorney Bill Cluck said.
From Washington Post • Jun. 28, 2021
Those documents, which Cluck provided to The Associated Press, show that federal law enforcement was indeed after buried treasure.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 8, 2021
“Renee. That’s what I thought your name was, from when I saw you at Cluck Bucket those times.”
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
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.
