creak

1 of 2

verb

ˈkrēk 

creaked; creaking; creaks

intransitive verb

: to make a prolonged grating or squeaking sound often as a result of being worn-out

also : to proceed slowly with or as if with creaking wheels

the story creaks along to a dull conclusion

creak

2 of 2

noun

: a rasping or grating noise

Synonyms

Verb

• crawl
• creep
• drag
• inch
• limp
• nose
• ooze
• plod
• poke
• slouch
• snail

Noun

• grind
• jar
• rasp
• scrape
• scratch

Examples of creak in a Sentence

Verb

The old floorboards creaked under our feet.

The porch roof creaked with the heavy weight of the snow.

Noun

the creak of a floorboard

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The building is a sensory overload: creaking wood boards, smokey interior, shadowy book shelves, glow of dancing flame. —Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2024

The limit on that particular route to money is £300m, but United are already creaking under debt. —James McNicholas, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025

Noun

Gracey gets an astonishing amount across in the details: the goofy creak of a leather jumpsuit, a camera angle tilted to show the utterly unspectacular pulley system that yanked Williams upside-down in front of a crowd of 125,000. —Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024

The chapel was so old that creaks shuttered across the floor like lightning. —Nicolette Polek, Harper's Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English creken to croak, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

1583, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1604, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

creak

verb

ˈkrēk

: to make a long scraping or squeaking sound

also : to go slowly with or as if with creaking wheels

creak noun