ribbit

English

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɪbɪt/, /ˈɹɪbət/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪbɪt

Interjection

ribbit

1. (onomatopoeia) The vocal sound made by a frog or toad.
   • 1943, Vera Morris, transl., Thumbelina, Denver, Colorado: Pioneer Drama Service, page 9:

     Widow Toad: Looks kinds puny to me. Looks like a breeze could carry her off. Ribbit, ribbit. Maybe she could cook and clean my house.

   • 1992 April 19, The Canberra Times, Australian Captial Territory, page 2, column 1:

     Frogs croaking ribbit, ribbit
     Trees rustling sssshh, ssshh
     Water rushing over rapids splash, clash.

2. Used to anonymously and disrespectfully break silence, as in educational or ceremonial settings.

   The students fell momentarily silent while he finished writing on the board. Then, "Ribbit!"

Translations

the sound made by a frog or toad

• Basque : per
• Cebuano: kokak
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 呱呱 (zh) (guāguā)

• Czech: kva
• Danish: kvæk
• Dutch: kwak (nl)
• French: croâ (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: quak (de)
• Greek: βρεκεκέξ (el) (vrekekéx), κουαξ (kouax)

  Ancient Greek: βρεκεκεκέξ (brekekekéx)

• Hebrew: קווה (kva)
• Hungarian: brekk, brekeke
• Indonesian: kekok (id)
• Japanese: ケロ (kero), ケロケロ (kerokero)
• Korean: 개굴 (ko) (gaegul), 개굴개굴 (ko) (gaegulgaegul)
• Latin: coax
• Malay: kuak
• Maori: ōkaka
• Norwegian: kvekk (no)
• Polish: kum (pl)
• Portuguese: croac (pt)
• Romanian: oac (ro)
• Russian: ква-ква́ (ru) (kva-kvá), квак (ru) (kvak)
• Scottish Gaelic: cnàg, gnàg, grunnd grod (of a particularly large frog or toad)
• Spanish: croac
• Swedish: kvack (sv)
• Tagalog: kokak
• Tok Pisin: dokorok
• Vietnamese: ộp ộp, ộp oạp, qua qua, quạ quạ

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Afrikaans: ^{(please verify)} kwaak kwaak
• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} kwak kwak
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} kuak kuak
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} vrak vrak

Noun

ribbit (plural ribbits)

1. The vocal sound made by a frog or toad.

Translations

the sound made by a frog or toad — see croak

Verb

ribbit (third-person singular simple present ribbits, present participle ribbiting or ribbitting, simple past and past participle ribbited or ribbitted)

1. (intransitive) To make the sound of a frog or toad.

Translations

make the sound of a frog or toad — see croak

References

• Songs of the Frog
• “ribbit”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.