What does "cackle" mean?
The cry of a hen or goose, especially when laying an egg.
Cackle
/ˈkækəl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The cry of a hen or goose, especially when laying an egg.
- Grammar: cackle is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: babble, babblement, bark, bavardage.
- Useful contrasts: gentle laugh, quiet, silence.
- Usage evidence: She grinned toothlessly and, after a cackle, spoke, "Now your third wish. What will it be?"
How to use "cackle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cackle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cackle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cackle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cackle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cackle" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "babble" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cackle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The cry of a hen or goose, especially when laying an egg. countable, uncountable
"I heard a grey hen cackling among the ling; I called and thought, "If I could get a sight of you now, it would be your last cackle;" just then I heard something moving behind me on the path."
- 2 a loud laugh suggestive of a hen's cackle wordnet
- 3 A laugh resembling the cry of a hen or goose. countable, uncountable
- 4 noisy talk wordnet
- 5 Futile or excessively noisy talk. countable, uncountable
"There's no time to waste on silly cackle."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 the sound made by a hen after laying an egg wordnet
- 7 A group of hyenas. collective, countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To make a sharp, broken noise or cry, as a hen or goose does. intransitive
"When every goose is cackling."
- 2 emit a loud, unpleasant kind of laughing wordnet
- 3 To laugh with a broken sound similar to a hen's cry. intransitive
"The witch cackled evilly."
- 4 make a cackling sound wordnet
- 5 To talk in a silly manner; to prattle. intransitive
"It is also the business of a sensible government, not to cackle on its discoveries"
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 squawk shrilly and loudly, characteristic of hens wordnet
- 7 To pretend to rattle (dice) in one's hand while gripping them so that they maintain their orientation. slang, transitive
"Danny cackled the dice furiously in his cupped hand, then rolled them so they stopped inches from Slattery's hands. The result was the same as before – a seven."
- 8 talk or utter in a cackling manner wordnet
- 9 make a noise characteristic of a goose wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"She grinned toothlessly and, after a cackle, spoke, "Now your third wish. What will it be?""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cackle"?
Common synonyms include: babble, babblement, bark, bavardage, bawl, be in stitches.
How do you use "cackle" in a sentence?
She grinned toothlessly and, after a cackle, spoke, "Now your third wish. What will it be?"
How do you pronounce "cackle"?
Pronounced /ˈkækəl/.
Etymology
From Middle English caclen, cakelen, perhaps from Old English *caclian, *cacolian, from Proto-West Germanic *kakulōn, *kakilōn (“to cackle, gaggle, yelp, snarl”), perhaps of imitative origin. By surface analysis, cack + -le. Compare Dutch kakelen (“to cackle”), German Low German kakeln (“to cackle”), German kakeln (“to blather”), Danish kagle (“to cackle”), Swedish kackla (“to cackle”). Compare also Old English cahhetan, ċeahhettan (“to laugh loudly; cackle”), German gackern (“to cackle”).