English Reference
Noun

crackle

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US /ˈkɹækəɫ/ UK /kɹˈækəl/ crack·le Physics

n.a sharp, short sound like a tiny explosion. You often hear it when you walk on dry leaves or when you open a bag of chips.

n.a sharp, staccato sound produced by the sudden release of energy, such as the breaking of brittle material or the discharge of static electricity.


SIMPLE

The dry leaves made a loud crackle under my boots.

CONTEXTUAL

The fire in the hearth provided a constant crackle that made the room feel warm and inviting.

COMPLEX

The static discharge created a distinct crackle in the speaker, momentarily disrupting the otherwise clear transmission of the emergency broadcast.


From Middle English crakelen, equivalent to crack + -le (frequentative suffix). The physics sense is part of a facetious sequence "snap, crackle, pop", after the mascots of Rice Krispies cereal.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English crakelen
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Occasional
Updated