clack

1 of 3

verb

ˈklak How to pronounce clack (audio)
clacked; clacking; clacks
Synonyms of clacknext

intransitive verb

1
: chatter, prattle
2
: to make an abrupt striking sound or series of sounds
3
of fowl : cackle, cluck

transitive verb

1
: to cause to make a clatter
2
: to produce with a chattering sound
specifically : blab
clacker noun

clack

2 of 3

noun (1)

1
a
: rapid continuous talk : chatter
b
: tongue
2
archaic : an object (such as a valve) that produces clapping or rattling noises usually in regular rapid sequence
3
: a sound of clacking
the clack of a keyboard

clacker

3 of 3

noun (2)

clack·​er
ˈkla-kər
plural -s
: one that clacks: such as
a
dialectal, British : a gossiping tongue
b
dialectal, British : a rattle to frighten away birds

Synonyms of clack

Relevance

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of clack in a Sentence

Verb I heard her heels clacking down the hall. He clacked his teeth together.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Once, when his unit came under heavy fire, a soldier running for cover caught a glimpse of Salinger hunched under a table, clacking away like a frenzied newsman on deadline. — Literary Hub, 10 Aug. 2026 Automobile horns echoed here and there in the distance, and as the government railway train departed the station under the bridge, a string of small lights heralded the far-off clacking of its wheels. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Noun
One imagines her sweeping through arched thresholds, the click-clack of heels echoing across the burnished parquet, or presiding over feasts at the baronial dining table. — Donna Hardie-Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026 But as anyone who has driven down such highways can attest, the rhythmic clack-clack sound of expansion joints built into the pavement can be annoying for motorists. — Scott Neuman, NPR, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for clack

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of clack was in the 13th century

Rhymes for clack

See All Rhymes for clack

Browse Nearby Words

clachan
clack
Clackamas
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Clack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clack. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

clack

verb
ˈklak
: to make or cause to make a clattering or clicking sound
clack noun
clacker noun

More from Merriam-Webster on clack

Nglish: Translation of clack for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All