caulk

1 of 3

verb

ˈkȯk 

variants or calk

caulked or calked; caulking or calking; caulks or calks

transitive verb

: to stop up and make tight against leakage (something, such as a boat or its seams, the cracks in a window frame, or the joints of a pipe)

caulker noun

caulk

2 of 3

noun (1)

variants or calk or less commonly caulking or calking

ˈkȯ-kiŋ 

: material used to caulk

caulk

3 of 3

noun (2)

variant spelling of calk entry 2, calk entry 3

: a cleat on the shoe of a horse to prevent slipping

also : a similar device worn on the sole of a shoe

Examples of caulk in a Sentence

Verb

He carefully caulked the area around the windows.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Depending on your local weather and your home’s sun exposure, most exterior foundations require re-caulking every three to five years. — Bianca Lambert, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026

Make sure that drafts don’t get into your home around windows and doors this fall with this caulking gun. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026

Noun

America was shoddy caulk oozing from a vinyl arc in a historic heatwave. — Anna Kornbluh, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Why Re-Caulking Your Home Foundation is Important Replacing the caulk around your home’s foundation is important to maintain its structure. — Bianca Lambert, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English caulken, from Anglo-French cauker, calcher, chalcher to trample, from Latin calcare, from calc-, calx heel

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1954, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for caulk

• balk
• baulk
• bloc
• bock
• broch
• brock
• calk
• chalk
• chock
• clock
• cock
• croc

Kids Definition

caulk

verb

variants or calk

ˈkȯk

: to fill up a crack, seam, or joint so as to make it watertight

caulker noun