cackle

[ kak-uhl ]
See synonyms for: cacklecackling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),cack·led, cack·ling.
  1. to utter a shrill, broken sound or cry, as of a hen.

  2. to laugh in a shrill, broken manner.

  1. to chatter noisily; prattle.

verb (used with object),cack·led, cack·ling.
  1. to utter with cackles; express by cackling: They cackled their disapproval.

noun
  1. the act or sound of cackling.

  2. chatter; idle talk.

Origin of cackle

1
1175–1225; Middle English cakelen; cognate with Dutch kakelen,Low German kakeln,Swedish kackla

Other words from cackle

  • cackler, noun

Words Nearby cackle

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How to use cackle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cackle

cackle

/ (ˈkækəl) /


verb
  1. (intr) (esp of a hen) to squawk with shrill notes

  2. (intr) to laugh or chatter raucously

  1. (tr) to utter in a cackling manner

noun
  1. the noise or act of cackling

  2. noisy chatter

  1. cut the cackle informal to stop chattering; be quiet

Origin of cackle

1
C13: probably from Middle Low German kākelen, of imitative origin

Derived forms of cackle

  • cackler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012