cribbing

American  

[krib-ing] / ˈkrɪb ɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called wind-sucking.  Also called crib-biting.  Veterinary Medicine. an injurious habit in which a horse bites its manger and as a result swallows air.

2. Mining.

   1. a timber lining, closely spaced, as in a shaft or raise.

   2. pieces of timber for lining a shaft, raise, etc.

3. Building Trades, Civil Engineering. a system of cribs, as for retaining earth or for a building or the like being moved or having its foundations rebuilt.

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Etymology

Origin of cribbing

First recorded in 1635–45; crib + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

As a teaser trailer released late last year noted, with a bit of cribbing from Peter Jackson, “the age of toys is over.”

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

Firefighters secured the truck with “a grip hoist, grade 100 chain, and 6-inch vehicle strap cribbing, straps to keep the massively heavy vehicle from rolling any further forward,” fire officials posted on Facebook.

From Washington Times • Dec. 26, 2023

The discipline already had a “massive plagiarism problem” with students borrowing computer code from friends or cribbing it from the internet, said MacKellar.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 9, 2023

Yes, he was always ambitious, skipping grades in school and occasionally even cribbing from other people’s work.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2023

"Say, I've discovered who's been cribbing all those pretty little stones up at my aunt's!"

From Fred Fenton on the Crew or, The Young Oarsmen of Riverport School by Chapman, Allen

Related Words

• falsification
• infringement
• piracy