1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the cranky patient was always croaking to the nurses about something
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to die
slang
to stop living
I wouldn't go around saying your great-grandmother "croaked"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to kill
slang
to deprive of life
"I croaked the old bugger," he bragged
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to assassinate
slang
to put to death deliberately
hooligans had croaked the street corner wino just for the hell of it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of croak
David Amsden, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Dec. 2025
But longtime church organist Alice Glick, who started in 1991's Season 2 (when the first George Bush was president), croaked.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 26 Dec. 2025
Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2025
His character's ominous smirk and froggy croak are grittier than the gnarled wood of the lodge where the film is set.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for croak
Verb
Come nightfall, the chatter of a dizzying array of bird species (tanagers, toucans, motmots) gives way to a symphony of croaking frogs.
—David Amsden, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Dec. 2025
But longtime church organist Alice Glick, who started in 1991's Season 2 (when the first George Bush was president), croaked.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 26 Dec. 2025
Noun
His gravelly croak sounds melodic but grave.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 29 Sep. 2025
His character's ominous smirk and froggy croak are grittier than the gnarled wood of the lodge where the film is set.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 3 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for croak
Recent Examples of Synonyms for croak
Verb
-
Afterward, a student in the audience complained to his parents that, at the event, the deaths of Palestinian civilians had been characterized as collateral damage—a regrettable but unavoidable consequence of the battle against Hamas.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The driver and passenger in the BMW complained of pain.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Investigators would spend weeks building their case, combing through nearly 7,000 texts exchanged over the three months before Harold died.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Cormorants that tried to clean each other with their beaks died after ingesting the viscous muck.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Authorities allege her husband, 40-year-old Stephen Bowen, killed her with a shotgun.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
They get captured by Hungarian gangsters and have to fight (and kill) their way out of an inn run by a shady former dance prodigy (Uma Thurman).—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And Israel had been conducting a campaign to assassinate Iranian scientists, which made the prospect of lethal reprisal highly plausible.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Tyler, Andrea’s making the point that on the surface there are talks happening but there are no real direct negotiations at those highest levels, in part because so many people have been assassinated.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
He was missed — especially vocally — since Gill’s angelic voice does not, in any way shape or form, resemble Walsh’s charmingly out-of-pitch squawk-talk style.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Toy keyboard plinks and saxophone squawks spiral over a booming racket of drums in the ether, slyly threatening to collapse, like an elaborate plate-spinning act.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For families This hotel doesn’t scream family-friendly and there’s no kids’ menu in the restaurants.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Martens plans to scream, if not louder, than with more originality.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cookie perished, to say nothing of the dog.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The three perished when the plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Later, a fire at Hall’s grandmother’s house would destroy most of his magic act.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
This time around, in that first wave of strikes on February 28, American cruise missiles targeted and destroyed a building that ended up being a girls’ school—killing more than 168 young children who had just started their day of classes.—
Connor Okeeffe,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Croak.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/croak. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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