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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

clang.

A loud, ringing sound, like that made by free-hanging metal objects striking each other; usually, one considered more jarring than melodious.

5 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈklæŋ/[ˈkʰlæŋ]/ˈkleɪ̯ŋ/Canada, US[ˈkʰleɪ̯ŋ]Canada, US
  1. A loud, ringing sound, like that made by free-hanging metal objects striking each other; usually, one considered more jarring than melodious.

  2. Quality of tone.

  3. The cry of some birds, including the crane and the goose.

  4. A word or phrase linked only by sound and not by meaning, characteristic of some mental disorders.

  5. Alternative form of klang.

    alt-of · alternative
Where this word comes from

1570, of imitative origin. Compare also Saterland Frisian Kloang, West Frisian klank, Dutch klank, German Klang (from German klingen), Danish and Swedish klang, Latin clangere (“to resound”) (which probably influenced it).

verb/ˈklæŋ/[ˈkʰlæŋ]/ˈkleɪ̯ŋ/Canada, US[ˈkʰleɪ̯ŋ]Canada, US
  1. To strike (objects) together so as to produce a clang.

    transitive
  2. To give out a clang; to resound.

    intransitive
  3. To utter a word or phrase linked only by sound and not by meaning, characteristic of some mental disorders.

Where this word comes from

1570, of imitative origin. Compare also Saterland Frisian Kloang, West Frisian klank, Dutch klank, German Klang (from German klingen), Danish and Swedish klang, Latin clangere (“to resound”) (which probably influenced it).

intj/ˈklæŋ/[ˈkʰlæŋ]/ˈkleɪ̯ŋ/Canada, US[ˈkʰleɪ̯ŋ]Canada, US
  1. Imitative of a loud metallic ringing sound.

  2. Said after someone has name-dropped (mentioned a famous person with whom they are acquainted).

    humorous
Where this word comes from

1570, of imitative origin. Compare also Saterland Frisian Kloang, West Frisian klank, Dutch klank, German Klang (from German klingen), Danish and Swedish klang, Latin clangere (“to resound”) (which probably influenced it).

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.