- present participle of crackle.
crackling
Americannoun
-
cracklings
plural
-
the making of slight cracking sounds rapidly repeated.
-
the crisp browned skin or rind of roast pork.
-
Southern U.S. Usually cracklings. the crisp residue left when fat, especially hog or chicken fat, is rendered.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of crackling
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:
Nor is there anything inherently noble about making employees spend eight hours deciphering orders shouted through crackling speakers while the ice-cream machine is down and a small diplomatic crisis is unfolding in the PlayPlace.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Simon soon picks up a handheld CRT device to help with sneaking - a clever updated version of another staple of the Silent Hill series: the crackling radio.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Brushing his hand over crackling vine leaves, French winemaker Gregory Guibergia was relieved a wildfire only scorched the edge of his vineyard but he feared its smoke would ruin this year's vintage.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
One firefighter picking up hoses on Jan. 2 found crackling red-hot coals in the dirt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Crisp, striking, vivid, you couldn’t miss her—a bull’s-eye in the room, a crackling flame.
From "Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson
These act as bases for such dishes as Puerto Rican mofongo, made with plantains mashed with pork cracklings, as well as Cuban yuca with mojo, a citrus and garlic sauce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Jaíne again turns to her native country of Brazil, making plantain gnocchi, pan-fried in duck fat with cracklings and orange sauce.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2022
There are fried sardines, fried pork cracklings, pickled eggs, gizzards and stews made from cow’s feet and oxtail.
From New York Times ● Dec. 3, 2021
Among starters, smoked-cod hush puppies were a pleasant nibble, with or without a dip into chimichurri, but BBQ pork cracklings hardly crackled, though they did sizzle with gochujang.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 5, 2018
From time to time Ma skimmed out the brown cracklings.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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.
