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

A search is ongoing after an unoccupied creel boat washed ashore in Aberdeenshire.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

Oban in Argyll also builds a creel tree as part of the town's winter festival.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2025

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

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025

Scientists who examined the carcass said it was tightly wrapped in creel rope.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025

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