clunk
Americannoun
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a blow or the sound of a blow
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a dull metallic sound
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a dull or stupid person
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the gurgling sound of a liquid
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the sound of a cork being removed from a bottle
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verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clunksimple
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clunkssimple
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have clunkedperfect
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has clunkedperfect
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am clunkingprogressive
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are clunkingprogressive
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is clunkingprogressive
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have been clunkingperfect progressive
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has been clunkingperfect progressive
Past
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clunkedsimple
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had clunkedperfect
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was clunkingprogressive
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were clunkingprogressive
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had been clunkingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clunk
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:
Riders and drivers took increasingly elaborate swerves to avoid the wince-inducing jolts of a full-on pothole clunk.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
At times, I found myself fantasizing about nothing else in the world but the satisfying clunk of a torrent of ice from a self-serve soda fountain.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2023
“When we heard our first clunk, that was such a relief,” Price recalled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2023
The one real clunk in the works is the framing device.
From New York Times ● May 31, 2022
She closed the door with a hard clunk.
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
At no point is Desiree’s identity presented in a way that clunks with “very special episode” messaging or talking points.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2025
The fan she does have slowly clunks as it starts, eventually whirring into action.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2024
To fix it, Mr. Mace said, the Met installed shims to restrict the freedom of movement within the two towers, eliminating the clunks during weight shifts.
From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2018
Cilic clunks his forehand into the net and Del Potro takes the first set!
From The Guardian ● Jun. 7, 2018
This time it shifts a little, but then the rope slips through my hands and the trap clunks back on the bottom.
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
The scene that best defines the story’s idealism happens long before Dunk gets clunked in the head or skewered by a lance.
From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026
The Bengals clunked to a 4-11-1 finish amid the chaos and confusion of the pandemic.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 8, 2022
They clunked their way through a first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers mostly by relying on Durant to score a lot.
From Slate ● May 30, 2019
They clunked and rumbled against the hulls of the boats.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 26, 2018
The turntable gave a dying ahhh and the stylus clunked home.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Carroll said: “He’s really excited to be back. He was missed enormously and was good to see him out there clunking around with our guys and getting back into the rhythm of it.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 28, 2022
It’s nice to see emails clunking into the box with people’s thoughts and concerns, hopes and dreams, wants and fears, wry asides, pessimistic wails, cries from the heart.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2021
However, 40dB of a smooth, consistent hum is very different from 40dB of clunking, rattling or screeching.
From BBC ● May 30, 2021
Foul balls clunking loudly upon landing in the seats.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 24, 2020
It is hard to keep going on when your body is clunking away.
From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech
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.
