noun / verb
clack
KLAK/klæk/
A sharp clicking or rattling sound, or making this sound.
The wooden castanets clack as the woman strikes them together.
Etymology
Old Norse klaka meant “to chatter” and was itself imitative of sound. The English verb applies that sound-image to quick, sharp noises, including repeated clicks.
In context
They could hear the old lady’s tongue clack as steadily as a rice-husker.
More examples
- A loud clack comes from the old machine.
- His heels clacked across the hard floor.
- We hear the clacking of the train wheels.
Forms
clack · clacks · clacked · clacking
Similar words
- click
- A click is usually lighter and shorter; clack suggests a sharper or harder impact.