NYT Dictionary

CLUCK

/klʊk/
NounVerbKLUHKGrade 1

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2025

Meaning

The sound made by a hen, especially when brooding, or calling her chicks.

Etymology

Origin: Old English

From Middle English clokken, clocken, from Old English cloccian (“to cluck, make a noise”), from Proto-West Germanic *klukkwōn, from Proto-Germanic *klukkwōną (“to make a sound, cluck”), of imitative origin. Cognate with Scots clok, clock (“to cluck”), Dutch klokken (“to cluck”), Low German klucken (“to cluck”), German glucken (“to cluck”), Danish klukke (“to cluck”), Swedish klucka (“to cluck”), Icelandic klökkva (“to sob, whine, cluck”).

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

NYT Puzzle Appearances

Accepted in 3 recorded puzzles:

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