1 crick | Definition of crick

crick

noun (1)
\ ˈkrik How to pronounce crick (audio) \

Definition of crick

 (Entry 1 of 4)

: a painful spasmodic condition of muscles (as of the neck or back)

crick

verb
cricked; cricking; cricks

Definition of crick (Entry 2 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : to cause a crick in crick one's neck
2 : to turn or twist (something, such as one's head) especially into a strained position

crick

noun (2)
plural cricks

Definition of crick (Entry 3 of 4)

dialectal
: creek sense 1 I grew up fishing on little cricks with my dad.— C. W. Welch

Crick

biographical name
\ ˈkrik How to pronounce Crick (audio) \

Definition of Crick (Entry 4 of 4)

Francis Harry Compton 1916–2004 British biophysicist

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms for crick

Synonyms: Noun (1)

charley horse, cramp, kink, spasm

Visit the Thesaurus for More 

Examples of crick in a Sentence

Noun (1)

got a crick in my neck from sleeping while sitting up

Verb

He cricked his back sleeping on the sofa.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The hunters cruise slowly and look for them out the windows, and get cricks in their necks from it. Gena Steffens, Smithsonian, "The Snakes That Ate Florida," 11 July 2019 Pirates fans got a crick in their necks, from trying to avoid looking at their future, which looks like their past, which was mostly terrible. Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: Pirates fire sale bad for baseball," 16 Jan. 2018 His neck was stiff, as if there were a crick on both sides. Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, "Tests Indicated His Infection Was Getting Better. Why Did He Feel Worse?," 1 Feb. 2018 The lobby occupies the old Terminal Station, a Beaux-Arts structure that was built in 1909 and causes neck cricks with its 82-foot-high ceiling dome. Andrea Sachs, chicagotribune.com, "Where to stay, eat and explore in Chattanooga, Tenn.," 25 Sep. 2017 Frolics fireworks are back so that Monday morning crick in your neck will be worth the trouble. Kathy Flanigan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "If you're not at a street party this weekend, you're not doing it right.," 13 July 2017 Fighting the resulting symptoms: sore shoulders, a piercing crick in the neck, or worse, jet lag or altitude sickness. Meirav Devash, CNN, "How to beat jet lag with hotel spa treatments," 15 May 2017 The reclined lounges, placed up front, have turned an previously unpopular seating area into prime real estate — and are free from the dreaded neck cricks that traditionally accompany front-row viewing. Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, "What would it take to get you off your sofa and into a movie theater?," 10 May 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The gear selector for the standard six-speed manual gearbox also is a mite too far back in the cabin, cricking elbows during shifts into the even-numbered ratios. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, "Dallara Stradale: A Racing Legend Hits the Road," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'crick.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

See More

First Known Use of crick

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1608, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for crick

Noun (1)

Middle English cryk

Noun (2)

variant of creek, probably by shortening of Middle English crike

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for crick

crick

verb

English Language Learners Definition of crick

chiefly British : to develop a crick in (your neck or back)

crick

noun
\ ˈkrik How to pronounce crick (audio) \

Medical Definition of crick

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: a painful spasmodic condition of muscles (as of the neck or back)

Medical Definition of crick (Entry 2 of 2)

: to cause a crick in (as the neck)

Keep scrolling for more

More from Merriam-Webster on crick

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with crick

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for crick

Spanish Central: Translation of crick

Nglish: Translation of crick for Spanish Speakers