creel

American  

[kreel] / kril /

noun

1. a wickerwork basket worn on the back or suspended from the shoulder, used especially by anglers for carrying fish.

2. a basket made of wicker or other material, for holding fish, lobsters, etc.

3. a trap for fish, lobsters, etc., especially one made of wicker.

4. a framework, especially one for holding bobbins in a spinning machine.

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creel British  

/ kriːl /

noun

1. a wickerwork basket, esp one used to hold fish

2. a wickerwork trap for catching lobsters, etc

3. the framework on a spinning machine that holds the bobbins

4. dialect a wooden frame suspended from a ceiling, used for drying clothes

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Etymology

Origin of creel

1275–1325; Middle English crele, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

Police are continuing to search for the sole occupant of a creel boat after it washed ashore in Aberdeenshire.

From BBC • Dec. 21, 2025

These entanglements can involve creel fishing gear or ghost gear - rope and nets that have been lost or abandoned by fishing boats.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2025

In February, two fisherman rescued a humpback whale found entangled in creel fishing gear off the coast of Skye.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2025

Mark Elder, 26, from Thurso, died when his leg became caught in a rope on the creel boat he was working on and he was pulled overboard.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2023

I galloped down the hall into the library with a fishing creel over my shoulder.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• box
• crate