Word
clack
US/ˈkɫæk/
UK/klˈæk/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a short, sharp sound made when two hard things hit each other. You hear it when shoes hit stone or when wooden blocks knock together.
n. a short, sharp sound produced when two hard surfaces strike together.
Examples
“Her heels make a loud clack on the floor.”
“The train moves slowly, and you hear the steady clack of wheels on the rails.”
“In the empty hall, every clack of his cane against the stone floor echoed back, marking his slow progress toward the door.”
Examples
simple
“Her heels make a loud clack on the floor.”
contextual
“The train moves slowly, and you hear the steady clack of wheels on the rails.”
complex
“In the empty hall, every clack of his cane against the stone floor echoed back, marking his slow progress toward the door.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “clack” in context.
Verb
01. clack echoes
“The clack echoes down the long stone corridor.”
noun + verb
02. clack fades
“The clack faded as the train moved into the distance.”
noun + verb
03. hear clack
“I could hear the clack of shoes in the empty corridor.”
verb + noun
04. produce clack
“The toy bricks produce a loud clack when they hit together.”
verb + noun
Adjective
05. hollow clack
“The wooden blocks fell together with a hollow clack.”
adj + noun
06. loud clack
“The gate shut behind us with a loud clack.”
adj + noun
07. metallic clack
“He dropped the keys with a metallic clack on the table.”
adj + noun
08. sharp clack
“We heard a sharp clack as her heels hit the stone floor.”
adj + noun
Noun
09. clack of blocks
“The clack of blocks came from the children's playroom.”
noun + prep + noun
10. clack of heels
“The clack of heels on tiles told us she had arrived.”
noun + prep + noun
11. clack of hooves
“We heard the clack of hooves on the cobbled street.”
noun + prep + noun
12. hear the clack of heels
“I heard the clack of heels behind me in the hallway.”
Real-World Examples
“We listen to the clack of the wheels as the low-slung amber sun dances for us on the waves of the slate grey sea.” Etymology
From Middle English clacken, clakken, claken, from Old English clacian (“to slap, clap, clack”), from Proto-Germanic klakōną (“to clap, chirp”). Cognate with Scots clake, claik (“to utter cries", also "to bedaub, sully with a sticky substance”), Dutch klakken (“to clack, crack”), Low German klakken (“to slap on, daub”), Norwegian klakke (“to clack, strike, knock”), Icelandic klaka (“to twitter, chatter, wrangle, dispute”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Synonyms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
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