crag
noun
a steep, rugged rock; rough, broken, projecting part of a rock.
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crag
1 American
[krag]
/ kræg /
noun
crag
2
American
[kr ag]
/ kræg /
noun
Scot. and North England.
Crag
1
British
/ kræɡ /
noun
crag
2
British
/ kræɡ /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crag1
1275–1325; Middle English < British Celtic; akin to Welsh craig rock
Origin of crag2
1425–75; late Middle English cragge < Middle Dutch crage neck, throat; cognate with German Kragen collar; cf. craw
Explanation
A crag is a rough, jagged section of rock. Some sections of the Maine coast are made up of rugged crags and rocky beaches. Steep rock faces and cliffs are covered with crags — if you're a rock climber, you might attempt to scale the crags of a jagged rocky mountain. Parts of northern England and Scotland are particularly famous for their crags, and in fact the root of the word crag is Celtic, related to the Old Irish crec, "rock," and the Welsh craig. "rock" or "stone."
Vocabulary lists containing crag
The Odyssey
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 9
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It perches high on a crag overlooking Damascus, designed as an ever-visible reminder for the city's citizens of the all-seeing power of the Assads.
From BBC • Dec. 8, 2025
Today, Index is arguably Washington’s most popular crag, or climbing area.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 14, 2023
We agreed that it was time for a halfway snack, retreated from the crag and settled in a clearing in the pines lower down.
From Washington Post • Jun. 3, 2022
No one’s going to be standing at the crag telling you to go home.
From Slate • Mar. 20, 2020
At last he came, hideous and huge, tall as a great mountain crag.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
