From Middle English *croken, crouken, (also represented by craken > crake), back-formation from Old English crācettan (“to croak”) (also in derivative crǣcetung (“croaking”)), from Proto-Germanic *krēk-, from Proto-Indo-European *greh₂-g-, from *greh₂-k-, of onomatopoeic origin.
See also Swedish kråka, German krächzen, Sanskrit गर्जति (garjati, “to growl”); also compare Latin grāculus (“jackdaw”), Serbo-Croatian grákati. More at crack, crake and craic.
Meanings
A faint, harsh sound made in the throat.
The call of a frog or toad.
The harsh call of various birds, such as the raven or corncrake, or other creatures.
ja ケロケロ (the sound of a frog or toad) · nl gekwaak (the sound of a frog or toad) · nb hark (a faint, harsh sound made in the throat) · el κουάξ (the sound of a frog or toad) · pt coaxada (the sound of a frog or toad) · fi korahdus (a faint, harsh sound made in the throat) · sh krȅkēt (the sound of a frog or toad) · cmn 沙哑的声音 (a faint, harsh sound made in the throat) · fi kurnutus (the sound of a frog or toad) · ka ყიყინი (the sound of a frog or toad) · hu vartyogás (the sound of a frog or toad) · cs kvákání (the sound of a frog or toad) · uk ква́кання (the sound of a frog or toad) · he חרחור (a faint, harsh sound made in the throat) · pl rechot (the sound of a frog or toad) · da kvæk (the sound of a frog or toad) · hu brekegés (the sound of a frog or toad) · az qurultu (the sound of a frog or toad) · hu krákogás (a faint, harsh sound made in the throat) · eo kvako (the sound of a frog or toad) · fr coassement (the sound of a frog or toad) · ru хрип (a faint, harsh sound made in the throat) · tl kokak (the sound of a frog or toad) · ar نَقِيق (the sound of a frog or toad) · az vaqqıltı (the sound of a frog or toad) · he קרקור (the sound of a frog or toad) · cmn 呱呱 (the sound of a frog or toad) · mi ōkaka (the sound of a frog or toad) · sv kväk (the sound of a frog or toad) · bg ква́кане (the sound of a frog or toad) · sh кре̏ке̄т (the sound of a frog or toad) · tr vıraklama (the sound of a frog or toad) · it gracidio (the sound of a frog or toad) · ga grág (the sound of a frog or toad) · el κόασμα (the sound of a frog or toad) · ko 개굴개굴 (the sound of a frog or toad) · hu kuruttyolás (the sound of a frog or toad) · el κρωγμός (a faint, harsh sound made in the throat) · nl kwak (the sound of a frog or toad) · pt coaxo (the sound of a frog or toad) · es croac (the sound of a frog or toad) · ca rauc (the sound of a frog or toad) · et krooks (the sound of a frog or toad) · ru ква́канье (the sound of a frog or toad) · as টুৰ টুৰ (the sound of a frog or toad) · de Quaken (the sound of a frog or toad)
From Middle English *croken, crouken, (also represented by craken > crake), back-formation from Old English crācettan (“to croak”) (also in derivative crǣcetung (“croaking”)), from Proto-Germanic *krēk-, from Proto-Indo-European *greh₂-g-, from *greh₂-k-, of onomatopoeic origin.
See also Swedish kråka, German krächzen, Sanskrit गर्जति (garjati, “to growl”); also compare Latin grāculus (“jackdaw”), Serbo-Croatian grákati. More at crack, crake and craic.
Meanings
(intransitive) To make a croak sound.
(transitive) To utter in a low, hoarse voice.
“I am so tired,” he croaked. “It’s ageing this nation in Tom Hanks in Castaway years.” 2025 April 29, The Guardian, archived from the original on 11 Aug 2025:
The raven himself is hoarse, / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan. c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene v]:
(intransitive, of a frog, qualifier:toad; raven; or various other birds or animals; toad; raven; or various other birds or animals) To make its vocal sound.
(intransitive, slang) To die.
“I would like to understand before I croak. I would like to understand, and then I’m perfectly fine to shuffle off my mortal coil.” 2026, Sebastian Mallaby, “Introduction”, in The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind and the Quest for Superintelligence, Penguin, →ISBN:
(slang, transitive) To kill.
If Wilton croaked the criminal he did a jolly good day's work, and there's an end of it. 1925, G. K. Chesterton, The Arrow of Heaven (first published in Nash's Pall Mall Magazine, Jul 1925)
"It was me. And I'm glad, damned glad, I didn't croak him. With this slick guy after me, it would be me for the chair." 1920 June 14, The Electrical Experimenter, New York, page 216, column 2:
He'd seen my face, so I had to croak him.
To complain; especially, to grumble; to forebode evil; to utter complaints or forebodings habitually.
Marat […] croaks with such reasonableness. 1837, Thomas Carlyle, The French Revolution: A History […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, (please specify the book or page number):
(slang) To abort the current program indicating a user or caller error.
The accessor croaks if it's not an appropriate object reference. 2002, Nathan Patwardhan, Ellen Siever, Stephen Spainhour, Perl, O'Reilly, →ISBN, page 200:
fr coasser (to make a croak) · el κοάζω (of a frog, to make its sound) · id menguak (of a frog, to make its sound) · pt matar (slang: to kill) · la crōciō (to make a croak) · el κράζω (to make a croak) · nl rochelen (to make a croak) · la quaxō (of a frog, to make its sound) · ka ყიყინებს (of a frog, to make its sound) · ru сдыха́ть (slang: to die) · bg убивам (slang: to kill) · hu krákog (to make a croak) · uk здиха́ти (slang: to die) · ko 골로 가다 (slang: to die) · la coaxō (of a frog, to make its sound) · nl sneven (slang: to die) · bg умирам (slang: to die) · fr coasser (of a frog, to make its sound) · pl rechotać (of a frog, to make its sound) · fr croasser (to make a croak) · uk здо́хнути (slang: to die) · mk крека (to make a croak) · ca matar (slang: to kill) · ru завали́ть (slang: to kill) · pt coaxar (of a frog, to make its sound) · he קִרְקֵר (of a frog, to make its sound) · hu vartyog (of a frog, to make its sound) · az vaqqıldamaq (of a frog, to make its sound) · kix tāktāk (of a frog, to make its sound) · sv kväka (of a frog, to make its sound) · es palmar (slang: to die) · et kärvama (slang: to die) · sh krekètati (of a frog, to make its sound) · es groar (of a frog, to make its sound) · pl zdechnąć (slang: to die) · cs kvákat (of a frog, to make its sound) · tr vıraklamak (of a frog, to make its sound) · bg ква́кам (of a frog, to make its sound) · de krächzen (to make a croak) · de quaken (of a frog, to make its sound) · es espicharla (slang: to die) · sh крекѐтати (of a frog, to make its sound) · de krepieren (slang: to die) · az quruldamaq (of a frog, to make its sound) · fi korahtaa (to make a croak) · ar نَقَّ (of a frog, to make its sound) · nl de pijp uit gaan (slang: to die) · nl kwaken (of a frog, to make its sound) · ru сдо́хнуть (slang: to die) · cmn 嗝屁 (slang: to die) · uk ква́кати (of a frog, to make its sound) · ru замочи́ть (slang: to kill) · tl kumokak (of a frog, to make its sound) · it gracidare (of a frog, to make its sound) · de abkratzen (slang: to die) · fr clamser (slang: to die) · ru ко́кнуть (slang: to kill) · gl croar (of a frog, to make its sound) · ca raucar (of a frog, to make its sound) · ru ква́кать (of a frog, to make its sound) · ru хрипе́ть (to make a croak) · az qəbərmək (slang: to die) · ca raucar (to make a croak) · es matar (slang: to kill) · hu kinyiffant (slang: to kill) · fr crever (slang: to die) · it crepare (slang: to die) · es palmarla (slang: to die) · ko 뒈지다 (slang: to die) · eo kvaki (of a frog, to make its sound) · ko 뒤지다 (slang: to die) · as টুৰ টুৰা (of a frog, to make its sound) · da kvække (of a frog, to make its sound) · hu kuruttyol (of a frog, to make its sound) · az çezmək (slang: to die) · fi kurnuttaa (of a frog, to make its sound) · da skrige (to make a croak) · es croar (of a frog, to make its sound) · pl zdychać (slang: to die) · nb krepere (slang: to die) · pt grasnar (to make a croak) · hu kinyiffan (slang: to die) · br koagal (of a frog, to make its sound) · et krooksuma (of a frog, to make its sound) · bg крякам (to make a croak) · sk kvákať (of a frog, to make its sound) · fr buter (slang: to kill) · pl kumkać (of a frog, to make its sound) · fi korahdella (to make a croak) · uk подиха́ти (slang: to die) · cmn 呱呱 (of a frog, to make its sound) · sh krekètnuti (of a frog, to make its sound) · sh крекѐтнути (of a frog, to make its sound) · nb harke (to make a croak) · fr crever (slang: to kill) · it terminare (slang: to kill) · ja くたばる (slang: to die) · mi ōkaka (of a frog, to make its sound) · pl zabić (slang: to kill) · uk подо́хнути (slang: to die) · fro morir (slang: to kill) · izh krookkaa (of a frog, to make its sound) · ja ゲロゲロ鳴く (of a frog, to make its sound) · pt grasnir (to make a croak) · hu brekeg (of a frog, to make its sound) · uk ґи́ґнути (slang: to die) · az gorbagor olmaq (slang: to die)