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Glite Dictionary
🔊 A ticking sound ⏰ To make clock sounds 🕰️ To pass steadily
to ticktock

to ticktock

1 6.8
To make a repeated ticking sound like a clock
  • verb
  • /ˈtɪkˌtɑk/
translation icon : tic-tac
  • As we sat in silence, the old grandfather clock ticktocked steadily, marking the passing moments.

Examples

  • Let the clock ticktock away.

    A Star Is Born (1954)

  • She could hear the metronome ticktocking as she practiced her musical piece.

  • The clock in the living room ticktocked loudly during the night, keeping everyone awake.

Synonyms

to tick
vsto ticktock
151 1.0

To make short, regular tapping sounds like a clock

is a steadier series of clock sounds rather than short sharp single beats
to ticktack
vsto ticktock
9.5

To make a repeated ticking sound like a clock

is the alternate form with the same repeated clock sounds

Antonyms

to muffle
64 5.8

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

Surface Forms

ticktock infinitive
ticktocked past
ticktocked past participle
ticktocking present participle
ticktocks third person singular

Morphology

ticktock = tick + tock (transparent) = tick + tock

Clear compound of the two onomatopoeic elements 'tick' + 'tock' directly naming the combined clock sound.

Etymology

The word ticktock comes from the two simple clock sounds tick and tock, the quick, repeated noises a clock makes ('tick' and 'tock'). So to ticktock (as a verb) is to make that steady ticking sound like a clock.