noun
cluck
kluhk
noun
1
The short, clicking sound a hen makes.
"The chicken gave a soft cluck as she settled onto her eggs."
verb
1
To make this sound, or to make a similar clicking noise with the tongue in disapproval.
"She clucked her tongue at the mess in the kitchen."
"The hens clucked nervously when the fox came near."
How to Use Cluck
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe clicking sound hens make, or a similar tongue-click people use to show disapproval.
Common pairings
cluck like a hen
cluck one's tongue
Word Forms
clucked past tense, clucks plural, Clucks plural, clucks singular
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Etymology
From Old English cloccian, an imitative word that mimics the sound itself — the same pattern shows up in German glucken and Dutch klokken.