creak

[kreek]

verb (used without object)

to make a sharp, harsh, grating, or squeaking sound.

to move with creaking.

verb (used with object)

to cause to creak.

noun

a creaking sound.

Origin of creak

1275–1325; Middle English creken to croak, apparently back formation from Old English crǣcettan, variant of crācettan to croak

Related formscreak·ing·ly, adverb

Can be confusedcreak creek croak

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for creaks

squeak, screech, groan, sound, scratch, scrape, rasp, crepitate, squeal, chirr

Examples from the Web for creaks

Contemporary Examples of creaks

In The Paying Guests, the house, which creaks and stands so still and yet so freighted, is almost a character in itself.
Sarah Waters: Queen of the Tortured Lesbian Romance
Tim Teeman
September 30, 2014
“I live in a house that creaks, and when I am asleep and hear that groan, it reminds me that I am back in the mine,” said Avalos.
Chilean Miners Fight Their Demons
Jonathan Franklin
October 10, 2011

Historical Examples of creaks

Creaks and cracks and rustlings mysterious and unexplainable.
Thankful's Inheritance
Joseph C. Lincoln
This cottage rattles and creaks, and when the wind blows, it comes in through every chink.
Heidi
Johanna Spyri
A thing that creaks is not standing still and gathering mildew.
When Winter Comes to Main Street
Grant Martin Overton
It is hanging on the sands—how it creaks and sways in the wind!
The Light of Scarthey
Egerton Castle
We had heard lots of creaks already, but somehow this one startled us both.
Reginald Cruden
Talbot Baines Reed

British Dictionary definitions for creaks

creak

verb

to make or cause to make a harsh squeaking sound

(intr) to make such sounds while movingthe old car creaked along

noun

a harsh squeaking sound

Derived Formscreaky, adjectivecreakily, adverbcreakiness, nouncreakingly, adverb

Word Origin for creak

C14: variant of croak, of imitative origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for creaks

creak

early 14c., "utter a harsh cry," of imitative origin. Used of the sound made by a rusty gate hinge, etc., from 1580s. Related: Creaked; creaking. As a noun, from c.1600.