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:
There’s a wicked irony in micromanaging your entire life on Earth only to croak and have your soul potentially jettisoned to some formless state of being, entirely unknown to mere mortals.
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025
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
The stock market is crashing, there’s a war in Europe, everyone on “This is Us” is about to croak.
From New York Times ● May 22, 2022
The cry of adults is more like the croak of a frog or the sound of a weed wacker that won’t quite start than that of a songbird, she said.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 15, 2022
“What time is it?” she asked, her voice just a croak.
From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon
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
The woods were loud with strange sounds and chirps and croaks, like a wall of noise coming out of the trees.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
"Vooaaria!" the bird croaked, a concoction of sounds that resembled a drunken old man.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
Frogs croaked from nearby waterholes, joining the chorus of spectators who hollered as the announcer introduced their favorite racers — along with their laundry lists of sponsors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2025
They thought she was joking when she croaked a response - but she told them it was her real voice.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2023
“See who we’ve got near UW,” he finally croaked out in a dry voice.
From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2022
“We’re not Snape!” croaked Harry, before something whooshed over him like cold air and his tongue curled backward on itself, making it impossible to speak.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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
“Rowdy,” I said, in a croaking voice, “don’t jump on that monkey. I don’t think he means to harm us. I think he’s bluffing, or at least I hope he is.”
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
