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cribbing

American  
[krib-ing] / ˈkrɪb ɪŋ /

noun

  1. Also called wind-sucking.  Also called crib-bitingVeterinary 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.


Etymology

Origin of cribbing

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

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.

More recently, it ran afoul of Pokémon’s legions by cribbing that franchise’s signature font and imagery.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 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

But we may note that cribbing is not confined to schoolboys.

From The Lighter Side of School Life by Hay, Ian