Meaning & use
cackling
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“cackling” is a form of “cackle”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Laughing in a loud, sharp, unpleasant way, often when pleased with something mean or clever.
Grammar: No object; may be followed by with or at: cackling with glee.
Patterns
- cackling with glee
- cackling at something
The witch in the school play was cackling over her pot.
Grandpa sat there cackling at the old comedy show.
We could hear the children cackling in the next room.
verbintransitive
Making the loud, broken clucking noise a hen makes, especially after laying an egg.
Grammar: No object: the hens were cackling.
Patterns
- hens cackling
The hens were cackling in the yard as the farmer approached.
A cackling goose scared the dog away.
Cackling broke out in the henhouse at dawn.
noununcountable
The sound of loud, harsh laughter, or of hens clucking noisily.
Grammar: Uncountable when describing a general sound: the cackling grew louder.
Patterns
- the cackling of something
The cackling from the kitchen told us the joke was a good one.
We woke to the cackling of hens.
Their cackling echoed down the corridor.
Word forms
| base form | cackle |
|---|---|
| third person singular | cackles |
| past tense | cackled |
| -ing form | cackling |
Common combinations
- cackling with glee
- He was cackling with glee after his prank worked.
- cackling laughter
- Her cackling laughter filled the cafe.
- cackling hens
- The cackling hens ran toward the barn.
- burst out cackling
- They burst out cackling at the silly hat.
- cackling like a witch
- She was cackling like a witch at the party.
Synonyms and how they differ
- guffawing
- Guffawing is a loud, hearty laugh that sounds warm, whereas cackling sounds shrill and sometimes spiteful.
- chortling
- Chortling is a gleeful, chuckling laugh that is softer than cackling.
- crowing
- Crowing means boasting loudly, while cackling is about the sound of the laugh itself.
- clucking
- Clucking is the gentle, repeated hen sound, while cackling is louder and sharper.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: cackling or chuckling? cackling or giggling?
cackling vs chuckling
Chuckling is a quiet, warm laugh in the throat, while cackling is loud and harsh.
cackling vs giggling
Giggling is light, high laughter often from nervousness or fun, while cackling sounds more wicked.
Practice
Which person is cackling?
Choose one answer.
Cackling means laughing loudly and harshly. Quiet giggling is too gentle, and sobbing and sighing are not laughter.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cackling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.