⏰ To make ticking 🤙 Betting hand signals

to ticktack

1 9.5

To make a repeated ticking sound like a clock

verb
/ˈtɪkˌtæk/

: tictac

At night, the old wall clock ticktacked steadily in the hallway.

Examples

The only sound in the cabin was the watch that ticktacked on the shelf.
As she waited, the metronome quietly ticktacked on her desk.
The clock ticktacks loudly in the quiet room.
The old clock ticktacked all night long.
The old wall clock ticktacked steadily, filling the silence of the room.
As she waited, the metronome quietly ticktacked in the background.
In the stillness of the cabin, the watch ticktacked softly on the table.

Synonyms

to tick

vsto ticktack

187 1.0

To make short, regular tapping sounds like a clock

is about a continuous repeated clocklike sound rather than single beats

to clack

vsto ticktack

11 7.2

To make short, sharp clicking sounds

is the steady clocklike sound rather than clicking or rattling

to tock

vsto ticktack

6 6.0

To make a short sharp sound like a clock

is a repeated clocklike series rather than one isolated strike

to pitter-patter

vsto ticktack

1 5.8

To make a series of light, quick tapping sounds like rain or small footsteps

is a steady clocklike series rather than many light rapid taps

to ticktock

vsto ticktack

1 6.8

To make a repeated ticking sound like a clock

is identical in meaning but shows a different spoken form

Antonyms

to muffle

19 5.8

To make a sound or feeling quieter so it is less noticeable

Surface Forms

ticktack infinitive

ticktacked past

ticktacked past participle

ticktacking present participle

ticktacks third person singular

Morphology

ticktack = tick + tack (transparent) = tick + tack

The verb sense is a direct onomatopoeic combination of 'tick' + 'tack' indicating repeated ticking sounds, which learners can infer from the components.

Etymology

Ticktack is built from the two quick sounds tick and tack, which mean 'short, repeated clicks', so to ticktack is to make a steady ticking sound like a clock or metronome.