croaking 1 of 2

adjective

as in hoarse
harsh and dry in sound a croaking voice from smoking too many cigarettes

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croaking

2 of 2

verb

present participle of croak
1
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely the cranky patient was always croaking to the nurses about something

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2
as in dying
slang to stop living I wouldn't go around saying your great-grandmother "croaked"

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3
as in killing
slang to deprive of life "I croaked the old bugger," he bragged

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4
as in murdering
slang to put to death deliberately hooligans had croaked the street corner wino just for the hell of it

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of croaking
Adjective
Their croaking involves pushing air over vocal cords into a thin membrane known as a vocal sac that inflates under the chin. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Verb
An animal’s croaking rides away with the wind, and two sparrows rise from the reeds. — Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026 The track — with its croaking guitar, cymbal smashes, and stuttering vocals — sounds nothing like Brat’s gleaming, clubby gems (or the bouncy pop-punk of her 2014 LP Sucker, for that matter). — Caryn Ganz, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026 This process magnifies the croaking, resulting in a surprising volume of sound considering the size of the small frogs. — Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026 Ravens circle overhead, croaking at my presence in defiance. — Josh Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026 Karaoke on Ambience mainly consists of elderly monk-like men croaking out album tracks by Black Sabbath, and grey haired women wailing out ABBA songs. — David Greig september 15, Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for croaking
  1. hoarse
  2. complaining
  3. dying
  4. killing
  5. murdering
  6. gruff
  7. screaming
  8. falling
Adjective
  • Now life was like that; some days fine and firm and full of whatever, while other days the hoarse bark of the neighbors’ dog or a friend’s grim diagnosis and her body succumbed to an emotional gravity that pulled her into a free fall.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Singers didn’t want their voices to get hoarse over the long night or week.
    — Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of hoarse
Verb
  • But Chee Meng kept complaining about his shirts being misplaced, and Shawn knew that the man was still slipping out, either to look for work or for other purposes.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Staff were complaining about the connection in February, Wired reported, and Transformer reported that employees confronted Lehane in a meeting in May, pushing the company to explain its relationship with LTF.
    — Garrison Lovely, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of complaining
Verb
  • Inspectors also observed a dying adult cockroach on the floor nearby, two live adult cockroaches on a glue stick in a storage room, and a dead adult cockroach near the employee restroom entrance.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The police do not record victims by race, but in a majority Black country with violence clustered in the townships, the map tells you who is dying.
    — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of dying
Verb
  • California’s plan to save coastal homes from El Niño could end up killing beaches.
    — Deputy Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Attorneys for the men argued Harris fired the first shots, killing Turner and setting off the gun battle.
    — Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of killing
Verb
  • Caleb Flynn, the former American Idol contestant who was found guilty of murdering his wife, Ashley Flynn, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The former American Idol contestant and church worship leader convicted of murdering his wife and staging the scene to look like a burglary was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of murdering
Adjective
  • We were taught by a gruff cockney called Fred Waring, who had participated in the D-Day landings in a regiment that had fought its way across Europe towards Berlin and liberated the concentration camp at Belsen.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Sep. 2026
  • His only hope to get home turns out to be Nick (Kenneth Branagh), a gruff ex-KGB agent who loves American pop culture and is really good in a fight.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of gruff
Verb
  • In reviewing the body camera footage, police found that the child was standing on the stairwell at one point and was screaming while holding her left arm up in the air, according to the warrant affidavit.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Mahomes’ emotion seemed to bubble over in the second quarter, with CBS cameras catching the quarterback screaming at offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of screaming
Verb
  • People have moved so aggressively along the learning curve that those challenges are falling by the wayside.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Paired with an all-leather ensemble, pants and pointed-toe pumps included, the hair screamed ’80s rom-com star, the curls falling toward her face in a single swift motion.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of falling

Browse Nearby Words

croakers
croaking
croaks
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Cite this Entry

“Croaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/croaking. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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