croaker

[kroh-ker]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR croaker ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person or thing that croaks.

any of several sciaenoid fishes that make a croaking noise, especially Micropogonias undulatus (Atlantic croaker), found off the Atlantic coast of the southern U.S.

a person who grumbles or forebodes evil.

Slang. doctor.

RELATED WORDS

toad, bullfrog, caecilian, polliwog

Origin of croaker

First recorded in 1630–40; croak + -er¹

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

Examples from the Web for croaker

Contemporary Examples of croaker

The easiest way to convince a croaker to write a “script” for morphine is to fake gallstones or kidney stones.
American Dreams, 1953: ‘Junky’ by William S. Burroughs
Nathaniel Rich
June 27, 2013

Historical Examples of croaker

There are only fools like this croaker here who see any harm in it.
Abbe Mouret's Transgression
Emile Zola
The croaker was described by Linnus, in 1766, from South Carolina.
Bass, Pike, Perch, and Others
James Alexander Henshall
Many a croaker turns out in the long run to be brave in the fight.
For Faith and Freedom
Walter Besant
And then, for the first time since the disaster, the note of the croaker was heard.
West Wind Drift
George Barr McCutcheon
"You were ever a croaker, good Merlin," replied Sir Launcelot.
In the Court of King Arthur
Samuel Lowe

British Dictionary definitions for croaker

croaker

noun

an animal, bird, etc, that croaks

any of various mainly tropical marine sciaenid fishes, such as Umbrina roncador (yellowfin croaker), that utter croaking noises

a grumbling person

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 croaker

"prophet of evil," 1630s, agent noun from croak (v.); a reference to the raven (cf. Middle English crake "a raven," early 14c., from Old Norse kraka "crow," of imitative origin).