creaking

Verb

creak (third-person singular simple present creaks, present participle creaking, simple past and past participle creaked)

1. (intransitive) To make a prolonged sharp grating or squeaking sound, as by the friction of hard substances.
   • Then when the four ropes were arranged the coffin was placed upon them. He watched it descend; it seemed descending for ever. At last a thud was heard; the ropes creaked as they were drawn up.1856, Eleanor Marx-Aveling (translator), Gustave Flaubert (author), Madame Bovary, Part III, Chapter 10

   Synonyms:

   moan

2. (transitive) To produce a creaking sound with.
   • Creaking my shoes on the plain masonry.c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...
3. (figuratively, intransitive) To suffer from strain or old age.
   • Fascinating though this high-minded re-reading was, certain crucial joints of the play creaked a good deal under the strain.2002, Stanley Wells, Shakespeare Survey, volume 39, page 205

See all 5 meanings of creak