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• creek
  creek

  noun

  a stream smaller than a river.
• Creek
  Creek

  noun

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

creek

¹ American  

[kreek, krik] / krik, krɪk /

noun

• creeks
  plural

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.

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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.

Creek ² American  

[kreek] / krik /

noun

• Creeks,
  plural
• Creek
  plural

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.

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creek ¹ British  

/ 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

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Creek ² British  

/ 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

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creek More Idioms  

1. see up a creek.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subcreek
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Creek
  plural
• Creeks
  plural
• creeks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of creek

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

Explanation

A creek is a stream — like a river, but smaller — and if you grew up in the TV version of rural America, you probably had a creek babbling through your backyard and a dog that looked like Lassie. If you're "up a creek," or "up a creek without a paddle," you've got a problem with no solution in sight. Say you're out in the middle of nowhere, your cell phone battery has just died, and your car won't start. Unless you've got a solar charger or a tow truck comes along, you're definitely up a creek.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

creek Creek Creeks creeks

He fears the project will silt up the creek and Flathead Lake and destroy fish and habitat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

John Quincy Adams swam in a nearby creek.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

Many were repatriated to the lagoon at the mouth of the creek in a moving ceremony last June.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026

“Backing to the natural beauty of woods and a creek, the property enjoys exceptional privacy and a sense of peaceful seclusion,” the description continued.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026

I felt guilty when I thought of Togbe too, but the truth was I could no longer even recall the serenity of fishing in the creek.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Data centers are mushrooming, so numerous and monolithic they seem abstract, until one starts materializing on the Conodoguinet Creek in Pennsylvania, where I grew up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Officials said that, an hour into their descent, the group called Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch to ask for directions, but eventually wandered off route into Mud Creek Canyon.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

The flooding also resulted in "significant impacts to infrastructure," destroying footbridges and blocking hikers from crossing Bright Angel Creek, the park service said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

It asked anyone who knew of hikers or backpackers who were in the inner canyon along the Bright Angel Creek corridor on Saturday to get in touch.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

As soon as he got close to me, he gave himself a giant shake and peppered me with Snapfinger Creek water.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

Newton and Noss Creeks, Devon – a narrow tidal inlet just off the River Yealm in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

He would also spoof President George W. Bush and other political leaders, while remaining close to a Martin Creeks family, the Sabatines, who appeared often in his work.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 28, 2023

Fire crews were starting work on the eastern edge of the Swillup fire Wednesday while drones were expected to check for heat in the Canyon, Three Creeks, Elliot and Swillup fires.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2023

Not only did it shatter Indian dominance of the Deep South, but the Creeks were forced to cede more than 21 million acres of land in present-day Georgia and Alabama.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 26, 2023

Creeks and rivers overflow their banks from the recent rains, drenching the troops at every crossing.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

“Flash flooding will be possible in creeks, normally dry washes, swimming holes, and over recently burned areas,” the agency warned.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

The property includes a lodge, a teepee, a basketball court, a number of ponds and creeks, and several hunting areas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

The sizable farm was previously described as being home to an abundance of wildlife—and also features multiple trails and two year-round creeks that run through the land.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 4, 2026

Along the way, the filing said, Allen recorded his appreciation for the changing landscapes, for example writing on his phone that Pennsylvania's woods resembled "vast fairy lands filled with tiny trickling creeks."

From Barron's ● Apr. 29, 2026

The road to Montgomery led the marchers through cotton fields and scraggly pine thickets, across twisting rivers and creeks and into dark, gloomy swamps where dead trees draped with gray Spanish moss hugged the roadside.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman