croak

[krohk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR croak ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

to utter a low-pitched, harsh cry, as the sound of a frog or a raven.

to speak with a low, rasping voice.

Slang. to die.

to talk despondingly; prophesy trouble or evil; grumble.

verb (used with object)

to utter or announce by croaking.

Slang. to kill.

noun

the act or sound of croaking.

Origin of croak

1550–60; earlier croke, probably imitative; compare Old English cræcetian (of a raven) to croak

Can be confusedcreak creek croak

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

Related Words for croak

quack, squawk, crow, gasp, wheeze, grunt, caw

Examples from the Web for croak

Contemporary Examples of croak

When Tony takes over Danny's body, his voice begins to croak and he shakes his pointer finger for emphasis.
Imaginary Friends in Movies
Marlow Stern
May 5, 2011
And then I sit on a bench facing the grave and a raven says something in a croak a few steps from me.
Robert Bolaño's European Adventures
Roberto Bolano
April 28, 2011

Historical Examples of croak

Seven feet of earth, if you like, just to be able to croak on my back.'
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
All the same though, this cough won't do me the service of making me croak.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
If you wanted to drink by yourself, you could croak by yourself.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
He tried to cry out, but the effort resulted only in a croak in his throat.
The Coyote
James Roberts
She touched it with her fingers; the frog did not move or croak.
Harper's Young People, September 28, 1880
Various

British Dictionary definitions for croak

croak

verb

(intr) (of frogs, crows, etc) to make a low, hoarse cry

to utter (something) in this mannerhe croaked out the news

(intr) to grumble or be pessimistic

slang

(intr)to die
(tr)to kill

noun

a low hoarse utterance or sound

Derived Formscroaky, adjectivecroakily, adverbcroakiness, noun

Word Origin for croak

Old English crācettan; related to Old Norse krāka a crow; see creak

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 croak

early 14c., crouken, imitative or related to Old English cracian (see crack (v.)). Slang meaning "to die" is first recorded 1812, from sound of death rattle. Related: Croaked; croaking.

1560s, from croak (v.).