Meaning & use
cark
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitivearchaicdialectrare
to worry or feel troubled about something
Grammar: No object; often used in older texts or regional speech.
Patterns
- cark about something
She would cark about her son's safety whenever he traveled.
Don't cark over small mistakes; they happen to everyone.
verbtransitivearchaicrare
to burden or trouble someone with worries
Grammar: Takes an object: cark someone with cares.
Patterns
- cark someone with something
The endless delays carked him with frustration.
He was carked by the weight of his responsibilities.
Word forms
| third person singular | carks |
|---|---|
| past tense | carked |
| past participle | carked |
| -ing form | carking |
Common combinations
- cark about
- They carked about the storm all night.
- cark over
- He carked over his exam results.
- cark with
- She was carked with worry.
Synonyms and how they differ
Commonly confused: cark or cark it?
cark vs cark it
An informal British phrase meaning to die or break down; not related to the archaic verb cark.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cark' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Cark means to worry, so 'carked about' fits. The other options confuse it with 'park' or 'bake' or use it intransitively with a wrong pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cark”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.