croak

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“
The howl, the whistle and the roar, are signs of life; the croak is a satisfied acceptance of putrefaction.

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Definitions (20)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (7)

  1. noun A low hoarse sound, as that characteristic of frogs and crows.
  2. transitive verb To utter in a low hoarse sound.
  3. transitive verb Slang To kill.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (6)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (3)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (4)

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Examples (50)

  • Jerry groaned—and that did come out as a croak, a silly wavering croak that broke in the middle like a pubescent boy's. —  FSF,May2004
  • There was another low croak, and at the same instant a rattling volley, and fourteen savages lay stretched on the grass. —  The Grateful Indian And other Stories
  • By that time there wasn't one in the hall could do more than croak, they'd got so hoarse with all the cheering. —  Lalage's Lovers
  • He was answered by a similar croak, and a large raven was seen flying homewards over the fiord for the night. —  Feats on the Fiord The third book in "The Playfellow"
  • No sound but the raven's croak, and the wolf's long howl, breaks the awful stillness. —  Diary in America, Series Two
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This word has been looked up 154 times.

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Related

Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

Allen's Allen's Synonyms and Antonyms

Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

gasp ·  chuckle ·  growl ·  howl ·  squeak ·  rumble ·  squeal ·  whisper ·  grunt ·  whimper ·  rasp ·  bellow

Used in the same contextWord Family

croak:   croaking ·  croaks ·  croaked
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. From Middle English croken, to croak, probably of imitative origin.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English *croken, crouken (also as representing by crake and crake, q.v.), from Anglo-Saxon crācettan, croak (later verbal noun crœ¯cetung, croaking, of ravens); properly cracettan (with short a), from Old High German chrockezan, Middle High German krochzen = German krächzen, croak; cf. Latin crŏcitāre (later Italian crocitare, crocidare = Spanish (obsolete) crocitar = Portuguese crocitar), croak, freq. of crōcīre, croak, = Greek κρώζειν, croak; French croasser, Old French croaquer, croak, = Spanish (obsolete) croajar, croak. All imitative words, akin to crack, crake, creak, crow, cluck, etc., q.v. See also coaxation.
  2. from croak, v.
 

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/kroʊk/
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