What does "croak" mean?
A faint, harsh sound made in the throat.
Croak
/kɹoʊk/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A faint, harsh sound made in the throat.
- Grammar: croak is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: air a grievance, aphonia, apprehend, artificial voice.
- Useful contrasts: articulate, clear voice, cooing.
- Usage evidence: Listen, you can hear all the frogs starting to croak outside. At first I found them annoying, but I've gotten used to them now.
How to use "croak"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "croak" 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 "croak" 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 "croak" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "croak" 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 "croak" 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 "air a grievance" 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 "croak", 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 A faint, harsh sound made in the throat.
- 2 a harsh hoarse utterance (as of a frog) wordnet
- 3 The call of a frog or toad.
- 4 The harsh call of various birds, such as the raven or corncrake, or other creatures.
Verb
- 1 To make a croak sound. intransitive
- 2 pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life wordnet
- 3 To utter in a low, hoarse voice. transitive
"The raven himself is hoarse, / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan."
- 4 make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath wordnet
- 5 To make its vocal sound. intransitive
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 utter a hoarse sound, like a raven wordnet
- 7 To die. slang
- 8 To kill. slang, transitive
"He'd seen my face, so I had to croak him."
- 9 To complain; especially, to grumble; to forebode evil; to utter complaints or forebodings habitually.
"Marat […] croaks with such reasonableness."
- 10 To abort the current program indicating a user or caller error. slang
"The accessor croaks if it's not an appropriate object reference."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Irish.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Listen, you can hear all the frogs starting to croak outside. At first I found them annoying, but I've gotten used to them now."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "croak"?
Common synonyms include: air a grievance, aphonia, apprehend, artificial voice, beef, belch.
How do you use "croak" in a sentence?
Listen, you can hear all the frogs starting to croak outside. At first I found them annoying, but I've gotten used to them now.
How do you pronounce "croak"?
Pronounced /kɹoʊk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English *croken, crouken, (also represented by craken > crake), back-formation from Old English crācettan (“to croak”) (also in derivative crǣcetung (“croaking”)), from Proto-Germanic *krēk-, from Proto-Indo-European *greh₂-g-, from *greh₂-k-, of onomatopoeic origin. See also Swedish kråka, German krächzen, Sanskrit गर्जति (garjati, “to growl”); also compare Latin grāculus (“jackdaw”), Serbo-Croatian grákati. More at crack, crake and craic.
Etymology 2
Variant of Croke.