cluck

1 of 2

verb

clucked; clucking; clucks
Synonyms of clucknext

intransitive verb

1
: to make a cluck
2
: to make a clicking sound with the tongue
3
: to express interest or concern
critics clucked over the new developments

transitive verb

1
: to call with a cluck
2
: to express with interest or concern

cluck

2 of 2

noun

1
: the characteristic sound made by a hen especially in calling her chicks
2
: a stupid or naive person
a dumb cluck

Examples of cluck in a Sentence

Verb The hen clucked at her chicks. The driver clucked at the horses to get them moving. Commentators have been clucking over his lack of experience. Noun Don't be such a dumb cluck. stuck with a bunch of clucks on an extended bus tour
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
The bird was curious and stood long minutes until Doc clucked again. Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026 That’s cold enough to halt the steady bacterial breakdown that occurs in a regular freezer kept at, say, zero degrees Fahrenheit, but not cold enough to suppress my anguish at the prospect of eating a chicken that stopped clucking in 2011. Cree Lefavour, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026
Noun
Precede the yelp with a cluck, and listen intently for half a minute or so. Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 2 Apr. 2026 Chickens cluck as students rush to collect eggs. Alexa Liacko, CBS News, 23 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cluck

Word History

Etymology

Verb

imitative

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cluck was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cluck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cluck. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

cluck

noun
ˈklək
: the call of a hen especially to her chicks
cluck verb

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