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creak

creak

17 2.7
A high, squeaking sound made when a door or floorboard moves
  • noun
  • /kriːk/
: crujido
  • From the other room, we hear the creak of bedsprings and the sounds of bedclothes being torn off.
  • hear the creak
  • creaks and groans
  • creak of a floorboard

And we're like creeping through, creeping through, making little creaks, nothing.

Examples

  • Tessa and Perin stood and listened to the creak of the stairs beneath Dalka's bulk.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The hum of pipes, the creaks of bricks and mortar settling.

    Academic text (2018)
  • Through the wall, I could hear the bed creak as she got into it.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • We hear horses, and the creak of a carriage approaching.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I heard the house waking, the creak of beds, the shuffle of footsteps.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • God is merciful: I heard the creak of oarlocks and saw water splashing behind me.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • "Before I could think of a wise reply, we all heard the stair creak beneath an abnormally heavy step.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Temple watched dully, listening to the creaks and groans of the heavy wagon.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Maybe they'll even build in the creaks, pops, and hums you hear at a real observatory.

    Academic text (1996)
  • As she walked across the old wooden floor, I heard a loud creak echo through the room.

Synonyms

squeak
vscreak
31 1.9

A short high sound that things make when they move or rub

lasts longer and often sounds harsher when movement causes strain
creaking
vscreak
5 3.4

A long high sound that things make when they move or bend

is a shorter harsh sound caused by sudden movement or strain

Antonyms

373 2.0

A period with no sound or speech

How Loud

shriek
29 2.7
to groan
322 1.6
creak
17 2.7
squeak
31 1.9
rustle
10 4.4

Surface Forms

creak singular
creaks plural

Etymology

Creak comes from a word that names the sound itself, like squeak, and it was made to copy the noise of wood or metal moving slowly. So a creak is the 'sharp, high noise' you hear from a door, floorboard, or hinge.