- present participle of crackle.
crackling
Americannoun
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cracklings
plural
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the making of slight cracking sounds rapidly repeated.
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the crisp browned skin or rind of roast pork.
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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:
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
Skies over Le Porge turned orange as smoke rose from charred and crackling pine trees, while helicopters made repeated runs over deserted neighbourhoods.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Don’t be afraid of any crackling; cumin seeds should sizzle when fried.
From Salon ● Jun. 7, 2026
Mr. Ireland writes crackling, funny dialogue that gradually exposes greater rifts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Nansi’s presence does nothing to abate Nyame’s rage, though—the Sky God’s large fists are still balled, crackling with lightning.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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
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
Next up: grilled duck with citrus gremolata and duck skin cracklings and 10-year-old the Original.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2014
A few feet away, Aru heard the cracklings of a television coming from inside a tollbooth.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
