cluck

1 of 2

verb

clucked; clucking; clucks

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
Even a peep of news about a new flu pandemic is enough to set scientists clucking about eggs. Arthur Allen, CBS News, 29 May 2024 Even a trip to the restroom is a delight, as the sound of chickens clucking in the coop above the bathrooms welcomes you in the door. Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 19 Feb. 2024
Noun
Her 8-year-old daughter, wearing pigtails, sucked on a lollipop as the clucks of chickens cut through the quiet of the neighborhood. 1 of 2 In Georgia, agriculture is a $83.6 billion industry that supports more than 323,000 jobs, according to the Georgia Farm Bureau. Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 4 Nov. 2024 So what makes the fried chicken served at a grocery store, no-frills eatery and a couple of high-end restaurants a cluck above the rest? South Florida Sun Sentinel, Sun Sentinel, 25 Jan. 2024 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

1703, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near cluck

Cite this Entry

“Cluck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cluck. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

cluck

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

More from Merriam-Webster on cluck

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