creak

USKREEK/kɹik/

Verbcreaks, creaking, creaked

Noun pluralcreaks

4 meanings of creak

1
verbintransitive
To make a long, sharp sound when something rubs, bends, or moves slowly.
Like the sound an old door makes when it slowly swings open.
The old wooden stairs creak whenever someone walks up them.
Floorboards creaked under his feet as he crept through the dark house.
Similarsqueak, groan, grate, rasp
2
nouncountable
The squeaky, grating sound made when something rubs, bends, or moves.
Like the sound an old swing makes when you push it.
The creak of the door woke the whole house.
Every step on the staircase made a loud creak.
Similarsqueak, groan, grating, screech
3
verbfigurativelyintransitive
To begin to fail or struggle because of age, pressure, or too much use.
Like an old chair that feels weak when too many people sit on it.
The health system began to creak under the weight of so many patients.
Old factories creak when they cannot keep up with new demand.
Similarstrain, groan, falter, struggle
4
verbtransitive
To make something give off a squeaky, grating sound.
Like pushing an old swing so it makes a squeaky noise.
Don't creak that floorboard or you'll wake the baby.
He creaked the rusty hinge back and forth just to annoy her.
Similarsqueak

Practice

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Origin

From Middle English creken, which came from Old English cearcian meaning 'to creak or gnash.' The word imitates the sound it names.