creak

«creak» in Mova's judaism dictionary: to make a long, high, squeaking sound, like an old door… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (creak, creaks, creaked, creaking); noun (a creak, creaks)

meaning for a pupil

1) To creak is to make a long, high, squeaking sound, like an old door, a wooden floor or stairs when they move or are walked on. tree →

2) A creak is that sound. tree →

3) To creak can mean to work badly because of being old or weak: «The old system is creaking». tree →

sense in the lessons

In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Amos says God will make the ground creak under Israel like a cart heavy with grain. Interpretation: Read as a warning of judgment: God's weight will press on a people who ignore justice. In the primary lessons: In stories, especially spooky ones, creaking doors and floorboards build suspense; it is a good onomatopoeia for creative writing. In science lessons on sound, a creak happens when two surfaces rub and vibrate. In everyday life, oiling hinges stops them creaking. Phrases: «creaky door», «creak open», «creaking floorboards».

examples

• Behold, I will make it creak under you, as a cart creaketh that is full of sheaves. (Prophets AMO.2.13, JPS 1917) tree →
• The old door creaked open. tree →
• I heard a creak on the stairs. tree →
• The floorboards creaked as I tiptoed past. tree →
• Dad oiled the gate so it would stop creaking. tree →
• The ship's timbers creaked in the storm. tree →
• In the dark, every creak made me jump. tree →
• Whenever the wind blew the Birch-tree creaked. tree →

note

Regular verb. Sounds exactly like «creek» (a small stream) — a homophone trap. Adjective: creaky (a creaky door). «Creak» is a long squeak; «crack» is a sudden sharp sound.

In the corpora

• Behold, I will make it creak under you, as a cart creaketh that is full of sheaves.
• She whispers to her mum that the girls watched a scary film and she lay awake till three, listening to every creak.
• The old gaoler's rusty key creaks, the door clangs — and Toad is a helpless prisoner.
• Behind him, the gate creaked open" makes the whole class gasp, because we want to know what is behind the gate.
• Houses creak as they cool down at night or when the wind blows; creaks are not ghosts.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «creak» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.