clunk C2+ Topic:Materials & Substances US /klʌŋk/ UK /klʌŋk/ See IPA manual Minimal pairs Sounds like crunk /l/ vs /r/ Meanings 1 noun a dull heavy sound, as of metal striking metal The engine gave a worrying clunk and fell silent. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a dull heavy sound, as of... thudthumpclankclonkbang Word family Derived forms clunkyclunkerclunking Related forms clinkclank Etymology AI details Of imitative (onomatopoeic) origin, first attested in the 18th–19th centuries, akin to clank and clink. Topics Materials & Substances External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # clunk **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /klʌŋk/ **IPA (UK):** /klʌŋk/ ## Meanings 1. a dull heavy sound, as of metal striking metal ## Examples - The engine gave a worrying clunk and fell silent. ## Synonyms - thud - thump - clank - clonk - bang ## Derived Forms - clunky - clunker - clunking ## Related Forms - clink - clank ## Etymology Of imitative (onomatopoeic) origin, first attested in the 18th–19th centuries, akin to clank and clink. ## AI Etymology Clunk is of imitative (onomatopoeic) origin, first attested in the 18th–19th centuries, akin to clank and clink. Its formation is sound-symbolic rather than a regular transparent compound, with the older form echoing the sound named in the history. Used as a noun and verb, clunk now means "a dull heavy sound, as of metal striking metal", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in derived forms such as clunky, clunker, and clunking and related forms such as clink and clank. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the historical form and the modern word clunk. ## Topics - Materials & Substances markdown