croak
Americanverb (used without object)
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to utter a low-pitched, harsh cry, as the sound of a frog or a raven.
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to speak with a low, rasping voice.
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Slang. to die.
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to talk despondingly; prophesy trouble or evil; grumble.
verb (used with object)
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to utter or announce by croaking.
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Slang. to kill.
noun
verb
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(intr) (of frogs, crows, etc) to make a low, hoarse cry
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to utter (something) in this manner
he croaked out the news
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(intr) to grumble or be pessimistic
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slang
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(intr) to die
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(tr) to kill
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noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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croaksimple
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croakssimple
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have croakedperfect
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has croakedperfect
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am croakingprogressive
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are croakingprogressive
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is croakingprogressive
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have been croakingperfect progressive
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has been croakingperfect progressive
Past
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croakedsimple
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had croakedperfect
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was croakingprogressive
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were croakingprogressive
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had been croakingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of croak
1550–60; earlier croke, probably imitative; compare Old English cræcetian (of a raven) to croak
Explanation
A croak is the low, hoarse sound a frog makes. Crows and people with sore throats can croak, too. It’s also a slang word for “die.” When people croak, they need either a glass of water or an undertaker. Croak is a noun or a verb. A bullfrog’s croak can be very loud. A parched cowboy might croak, “howdy.” Another meaning of the word is "die," as in, "I'm sorry your hamster's dead, but you knew he was going to croak soon.” This kind of croak came from the popular idea that people make a distinctive sound just before they die, a "death rattle." Now there’s something to look forward to!
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:
She has an angelic voice, and Bob has this craggy kind of Blues man’s croak.
From Salon ● Dec. 25, 2024
“I’m so happy for you,” Luke manages to croak.
From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2023
Purdue, unlike Virginia, which lost by 20, kept a lukewarm hope into the closing minute, only to see it croak in disarray and send the Knights in blue charging and dancing onto the floor.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 17, 2023
“It was ravaged but always in key,” he says of Lanegan’s signature croak.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2022
I was as starved for the sight of a human face as for the food and tried in a hoarse croak to start a conversation.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
The Minion croaks his last words: “Oh, poop.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Then he croaks the hook from the album’s first single, “Houdini,” a riff on the chorus of Steve Miller’s “Abracadabra”:
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2024
A healthy coral reef is noisy, full of the croaks, purrs, and grunts of various fishes and the crackling of snapping shrimp.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 13, 2024
These beady-eyed amphibians can be found on the banks of noisy streams throughout China, where the rapids would drown out ordinary croaks and chirps.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 11, 2024
“All they hear are croaks, my dear Witchling!”
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
"Vooaaria!" the bird croaked, a concoction of sounds that resembled a drunken old man.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
"The only flowers anyone saw in Aston were the ones you threw in the hole after you when you croaked it at the age of 53 'cos you'd worked yourself to death."
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2025
When she asked him what she needed to bring with them, he croaked, “The clocks.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2024
“What’s different? You are different …” I croaked out.
From Slate ● Apr. 20, 2023
"This is very good counsel, Sire," croaked the Raven.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
Ravens circle overhead, croaking at my presence in defiance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
“As we got to the end of the season losing these games, it was just croaking me,” Kraft says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026
The blend of vocal harmonies and symbolism will leave you awestruck and almost croaking.
From Salon ● Mar. 29, 2024
In one case, the Telegraph reports, a couple in the French countryside was ordered to get rid of a pond because the sound of croaking frogs annoyed the neighbors.
From NewsForKids.net ● Mar. 13, 2024
My throat was so dry I could hear my voice croaking.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
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.
