What does "clack" mean?
An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by two hard objects colliding repetitively; a sound midway between a click and a clunk.
Clack
/klæk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by two hard objects colliding repetitively; a sound midway between a click and a clunk.
- Grammar: clack is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: attention getter, babble, babblement, bavardage.
- Useful contrasts: disregard, hush, ignore.
- Usage evidence: whose chief intent is to vaunt his spiritual clack
How to use "clack"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "clack" 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 "clack" 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 "clack" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "clack" 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 "clack" is acting as name, 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 "attention getter" 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 "clack", 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 An abrupt, sharp sound, especially one made by two hard objects colliding repetitively; a sound midway between a click and a clunk.
- 2 a simple valve with a hinge on one side; allows fluid to flow in only one direction wordnet
- 3 Anything that causes a clacking noise, such as the clapper of a mill, or a clack valve.
- 4 a sharp abrupt noise as if two objects hit together; may be repeated wordnet
- 5 Chatter; prattle.
"whose chief intent is to vaunt his spiritual clack"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The tongue. colloquial
Verb
- 1 To make a sudden, sharp noise, or succession of noises; to click. intransitive
"We heard Mr. Hodson's whip clacking on the shoulders of the poor little wretches."
- 2 speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly wordnet
- 3 To cause to make a sudden, sharp noise, or succession of noises; to click. transitive
- 4 make a clucking sounds, characteristic of hens wordnet
- 5 To chatter or babble; to utter rapidly without consideration.
"There is a generation of men, whose unweighed custome makes them clack out any thing their heedleſs fancy ſprings"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 make a rattling sound wordnet
- 7 To cut the sheep's mark off (wool), to make the wool weigh less and thus yield less duty. UK
- 8 Dated form of cluck. alt-of, dated
"Only the chickens clacked at the Saturday quiet and fat mouse-minded cats licked whiskers on the empty steps."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"whose chief intent is to vaunt his spiritual clack"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "clack"?
Common synonyms include: attention getter, babble, babblement, bavardage, bibble-babble, bicker.
How do you use "clack" in a sentence?
whose chief intent is to vaunt his spiritual clack
How do you pronounce "clack"?
Pronounced /klæk/.
Etymology
From Middle English clacken, clakken, claken, from Old English *clacian (“to slap, clap, clack”), from Proto-Germanic *klakōną (“to clap, chirp”). Cognate with Scots clake, claik (“to utter cries", also "to bedaub, sully with a sticky substance”), Dutch klakken (“to clack, crack”), Low German klakken (“to slap on, daub”), Norwegian klakke (“to clack, strike, knock”), Icelandic klaka (“to twitter, chatter, wrangle, dispute”).