Cackle
collective noun /ˈkækəl/ — What you call a group of hyenas — named for the sound that defines them.
Definition
The collective noun for a group of hyenas. The hyena's distinctive vocalisation — a high, broken laugh used for communication across long distances — gives the collective noun its name.
Beyond the definition
Hyenas are the most misunderstood large carnivores in Africa. They're actually sophisticated social animals with matriarchal hierarchies, cooperative hunting, and an elaborate communication system. Their 'laugh' isn't laughter — it's a nuanced signal. But it sounds exactly like a cackle. The collective noun is wrong about what it means and perfectly right about what it sounds like.
Origin & history
From Middle Low German kakelen — to chatter, cackle (imitative). The sound of hyena communication — specifically the giggle vocalization — gave rise to the collective noun naturally.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
A cackle of spotted hyenas had surrounded the lion's kill before the pride could return.
She heard the cackle before dark — a rising chorus from the ridge.
The documentary followed one cackle of hyenas for an entire year.
Synonyms
group, clan, pack, band
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Word in focus
A cackle of hyenas
A cackle of spotted hyenas gathered around a lioness on the grassland.
Cackle names a group of hyenas. The photograph shows several spotted hyenas confronting a lioness; a still image cannot demonstrate the calls that give the collective its name.
Image credit: Brittany Gunther · CC BY-SA 4.0 (license)
Uses the source's first cropped frame; resized and converted to WebP.