caulk

1 of 3

verb

ˈkȯk 

variants or calk

caulked or calked; caulking or calking; caulks or calks

transitive verb

: to stop up and make tight against leakage (something, such as a boat or its seams, the cracks in a window frame, or the joints of a pipe)

caulker noun

caulk

2 of 3

noun (1)

variants or calk or less commonly caulking or calking

ˈkȯ-kiŋ 

: material used to caulk

caulk

3 of 3

noun (2)

variant spelling of calk entry 2, calk entry 3

: a cleat on the shoe of a horse to prevent slipping

also : a similar device worn on the sole of a shoe

Examples of caulk in a Sentence

Verb

He carefully caulked the area around the windows.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Ensure that all your windows and doors are properly sealed and caulked, so no outside air is breezing in. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Jan. 2025

Weatherstripping While caulking is best for filling in small gaps, weatherstripping is a better heavy-duty option for larger gaps and holes on movable window parts. —Rabekah Henderson, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2025

Noun

Officers searched the car and found a tube of caulk with a false bottom, hiding 2.5 grams of methamphetamine, .5 grams of heroin, three blue M-30 pills containing fentanyl and 3.5 grams of DMT, according to a Dec. 20 Cottonwood police Facebook post. —Caitlin McGlade, The Arizona Republic, 23 Dec. 2024

Additionally, air sealing your home with caulk is one of the quickest energy- and money-saving hacks. —Diana Leyva, The Tennessean, 30 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English caulken, from Anglo-French cauker, calcher, chalcher to trample, from Latin calcare, from calc-, calx heel

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (1)

1954, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

caulk

verb

variants or calk

ˈkȯk

: to fill up a crack, seam, or joint so as to make it watertight

caulker noun