tsk
Americaninterjection
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(used, often in quick repetition, as an exclamation of contempt, disdain, impatience, etc.)
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for shame!
noun
verb (used without object)
Usage
What does tsk mean? Tsk is an interjection used to express contempt or disdain, as in Tsk, tsk, that party was so exciting after all. Tsk can also mean for shame, as in Tsk, I can’t believe you ate the whole pie!As an interjection, tsk can be used as an isolated phrase separate from a sentence. It is often used repeatedly in quick succession, as in tsk tsk or tsk tsk tsk. Tsk can also refer to a usage of tsk, usually to reference people’s chides or negative remarks, as in Wanna’s tsks are often about how food looks on a plate. To tsk means to say tsk, often to describe someone who is criticizing something or someone by using tsk. Example: Lamonte’s teacher tsked him for coming to class late.
Etymology
Origin of tsk
First recorded in 1935–40; of expressive origin
Vocabulary lists containing tsk
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.
This time around it was a soft tsk.
From Reuters • Dec. 6, 2022
We are tsk tsking vaccine chasers and line skippers and trading tales of side effects.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2021
You can tsk tsk this sort of thing but if you do, you are no fun.
From The Guardian • Aug. 14, 2019
There would be nostalgic laughter when he said this, but he would wag a finger at the assembled worthies and go tsk, tsk, tsk.
From The New Yorker • Jul. 22, 2019
“Killed in an accident, tsk tsk! Poor Widow Ashton, what a sad and lonely life she must have.”
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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.
