clank
/klaŋk
/noun
A loud, sharp sound or series of sounds, as is made by pieces of metal being struck together: the groan and clank of a winch...
- With a series of sharp metal clanks from each of the twelve locks the gateway swung open quietly on well oiled hinges to allow the travelers passage.
- There was a loud clank as the metal hit concrete.
- The sand disappeared in a giant ‘whoosh’ and the empty hemispherical sections returned together with a sharp clank.
Synonyms
jangling, clanging, rattling, clinking, jingling, clunking, clattering;
clang, jangle, rattle, clangour, clink, jingle, clunk, clatter
verb
Make or cause to make a clank: [no object]: I could hear the chain clanking [with object]: he clanked his heavy ring of keys...
- So if you see me driving round in a big, clanking heavy old thing, you will know that I got it right and chose the car.
- They got off the bus and were led, leg chains clanking and dragging on the cobbles as they shuffled along, following the warder.
- Less than a second later, the chains clanked against the wall.
Synonyms
jangle, rattle, clink, clang, jingle, clunk, clatter
Derivatives
clankingly
Origin
Late Middle English (but rare before the mid 17th century): imitative.