creek

¹

[kreek, krik]

noun

1. U.S. and Canada.,  a stream smaller than a river.

2. a stream or channel in a coastal marsh.

3. Chiefly Atlantic States and British.,  a recess or inlet in the shore of the sea.

4. an estuary.

5. British Dialect.,  a narrow, winding passage or hidden recess.

Creek

²

[kreek]

noun

plural

Creeks ,

plural

Creek .

1. a member of a confederacy of North American Indians that in historic times occupied the greater part of Alabama and Georgia.

2. Also called Muskogee. a Muskogean language that is the language of the Creek Indians.

creek

¹

/ kriːk /

noun

1. a narrow inlet or bay, esp of the sea

2. a small stream or tributary

3. slang,  in trouble; in a difficult position

Creek

²

/ kriːk /

noun

1. a member of a confederacy of Native American peoples formerly living in Georgia and Alabama, now chiefly in Oklahoma

2. any of the languages of these peoples, belonging to the Muskhogean family

Other Word Forms

• subcreek noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of creek¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English creke, variant of crike, from Old Norse kriki “bend, crook”

Word History and Origins

Origin of creek¹

C13: from Old Norse kriki nook; related to Middle Dutch krēke creek, inlet

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. up the / a creek (without a paddle), in a predicament; in a difficult or seemingly hopeless situation.

   The pension is so small, I'd be up the creek if I had no other income.

   Don't ask me to navigate, or we'll be up a creek without a paddle in no time.

see up a creek.

Example Sentences

He has spent a lifetime craving answers, but doesn't want to find them here among the tall trees, creek and bushes.

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They had miles of trails, winding creeks, and a sense of peace that many said they felt deep in their souls whenever they looked out at their mountain vistas.

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Whitney trailhead; view and man fishing at Lone Pine creek; and rock formations in the Alabama Hills near the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada.

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The National Weather Service warned that “excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations.”

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Beautiful Eagle Creek sits just off Tillman Road in Statesboro, Ga., tracing the edge of the practice field at Georgia Southern University, where for more than four decades, the creek has been considered holy ground.

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