crackling

American  

[krak-ling, -luhn] / ˈkræk lɪŋ, -lən /

noun

1. the making of slight cracking sounds rapidly repeated.

2. the crisp browned skin or rind of roast pork.

3. Southern U.S. Usually cracklings. the crisp residue left when fat, especially hog or chicken fat, is rendered.

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crackling British  

/ ˈkræklɪŋ /

noun

1. the crisp browned skin of roast pork

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Etymology

Origin of crackling

First recorded in 1540–50; crackle + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

But there were also thousands of local families gathered at the stadium with a crackling sense of anticipation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

A firefighter picking up hoses on Jan. 2 found crackling, red-hot coals in the dirt and warned colleagues that a more thorough mop-up was needed.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

The camera cuts to Elizabeth’s actual surroundings: a New York City apartment, where the radiator clacks and hisses in place of a crackling fire, and the view is brick, not snow-dusted pasture.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

But amid all that crackling electricity, everything around Marty begins to blur.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

The crackling and popping was the sound of the fire slowly advancing on them through the woods as it ate up tree after tree after tree.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz