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• crick
  crick

  noun

  a sharp, painful spasm of the muscles, as of the neck or back.
• Crick
  Crick

  noun

  Francis Harry Compton, 1916–2004, English biophysicist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1962.

crick

¹ American  

[krik] / krɪk /

noun

1. a sharp, painful spasm of the muscles, as of the neck or back.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give a crick or wrench to (the neck, back, etc.).

crick ² American  

[krik] / krɪk /

noun

Northern, North Midland, and Western U.S.

1. creek.

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Crick ³ American  

[krik] / krɪk /

noun

1. Francis Harry Compton, 1916–2004, English biophysicist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1962.

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crick ¹ British  

/ krɪk /

noun

1. a dialect word for creek

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Crick ² British  

/ krɪk /

noun

1. Francis Harry Compton. 1916–2004, English molecular biologist: helped to discover the helical structure of DNA; Nobel prize for physiology or medicine shared with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins 1962

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crick ³ British  

/ krɪk /

noun

1. a painful muscle spasm or cramp, esp in the neck or back

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verb

1. (tr) to cause a crick in (the neck, back, etc)

Crick Scientific  

/ krĭk /

1. British biologist who with James D. Watson identified the structure of DNA in 1953. By analyzing the patterns cast by x-rays striking DNA molecules, they found that DNA has the structure of a double helix, consisting of two spirals linked together at the base, forming ladderlike rungs. For this work they shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine with Maurice Wilkins.

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Etymology

Origin of crick

1400–50; late Middle English crikke, perhaps akin to crick ²

Explanation

If you have a crick, it means there's a cramp or a painful stiffness in your neck. You might wake with a crick in your neck after sleeping in an uncomfortable position. Staring up at the stars might give you a crick in your neck, and so might traveling a long time on a bus or in a car, or any other activity that limits the movement of your head and neck. You might also end a challenging yoga class with a crick in your neck. Experts aren't sure where crick comes from, though it may be onomatopœic, echoing the sound of a creaking joint.

Example Sentences

Rosalind Franklin had been making X-ray images of DNA in a London laboratory, one of which was passed on by a colleague to Crick and Watson and provided a crucial clue.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

In 1951 there arrived in Cambridge, as Mr. Cobb describes him, “a tall, thin, bug-eyed American called Jim Watson,” who began collaborating with Crick on the problem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

The research was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and led by scientists from the Francis Crick Institute, Stockholm University, the University of Aberdeen, and the University of East Anglia.

From Science Daily • Dec. 29, 2025

In one of the greatest breakthroughs of the 20th Century, he identified the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953 alongside British scientist Francis Crick, setting the stage for rapid advances in molecular biology.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025

When I finally see Crick return, he’s not alone.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera