as in hoarse
harsh and dry in sound
a croaking voice from smoking too many cigarettes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
the cranky patient was always croaking to the nurses about something
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dying
slang
to stop living
I wouldn't go around saying your great-grandmother "croaked"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in killing
slang
to deprive of life
"I croaked the old bugger," he bragged
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in murdering
slang
to put to death deliberately
hooligans had croaked the street corner wino just for the hell of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of croaking
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
Verb
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
Adjective
-
One of them, fist raised to the sky, let out a long yell, the hoarse shout of a gold panner.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
November 17, 2025 What To Know During an Oval Office meeting focused primarily on preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Trump sounded hoarse when speaking with reporters and officials.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Their relationship continued into the next year, 2018, when Lutnick emailed Epstein apparently complaining about an expansion plan for their neighboring Frick Collection art museum.—
Daniel Ruetenik,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The action comes as the legal gambling industry has been complaining that the state’s new per-wager tax on sports betting is driving gamblers to unlicensed websites.—
Robert McCoppin,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The least massive stars take an enormous amount of time to burn through their fuel, living as red dwarfs and dying as white dwarfs, before fading away to black after roughly a quadrillion years pass.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Closer proximity of cytotoxic T cells with dying brain tumor cells was associated with longer patient survival after treatment.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday morning, Russian planes dropped seven powerful glide bombs on Sloviansk, in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, killing an 11-year-old girl and her mother, according to regional chief Vadym Filashkin.—
EMMA BURROWS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
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Prosecutors say Brian Walton of Los Angeles was a stranger to Claudia Guevara, but he’s accused of killing the woman, then 23.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Though Ronald Heath was charged with murdering Hammett, prosecutors ended up dropping the prosecution when Kenneth changed his mind and decided not to testify against his brother again, saying his life had been threatened.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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In 2025 Erin Patterson, a 51-year-old Australian woman, was sentenced to life in prison for murdering three relatives and trying to kill another by intentionally feeding them a beef Wellington that included poisonous fungi in the ingredients.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The characters are well developed and unpredictable—perhaps none more so than John Stone, Nasir’s gruff public-defense attorney.—
Stephanie Bai,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Also present was the gruff playwright.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the fourth quarter, Hornets coach Charles Lee was tossed from the game and needed to be held back after screaming at officials following a no-call when his player, Grant Williams, collided with Pistons’ Paul Reed.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
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Police were notified that the man, later identified as Justin Rich, was screaming and damaging cars.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Two months later, the appointment of another nominee, Keith Fountain, failed in a 5-4 decision of the Board of Directors, falling one short of the six votes necessary to confirm him.—
Joseph Flaherty,
Arkansas Online,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Try to find a place that will block blowing or falling debris.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Croaking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/croaking. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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