Dictionary.com

crick

1
[ krik ]
/ krɪk /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR crick ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a sharp, painful spasm of the muscles, as of the neck or back.

verb (used with object)

to give a crick or wrench to (the neck, back, etc.).

QUIZZES

CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?

American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!
Question 1 of 10
A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?
Often it means something is impossible.
It’s another way to agree with someone.
It serves as an apology.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of crick

1
1400–50; late Middle English crikke, perhaps akin to crick2

Words nearby crick

cribrum, crib-wall, cribwork, cricetid, Crichton, crick, cricket, cricket frog, cricket table, Crick, Francis H. C., cricoarytenoid

Definition for crick (2 of 3)

crick2
[ krik ]
/ krɪk /

noun Northern, North Midland, and Western U.S.

creek (def. 1).

Definition for crick (3 of 3)

Crick
[ krik ]
/ krɪk /

noun

Francis Harry Compton, 1916–2004, English biophysicist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1962.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to crick

cramp, pain, stitch, twinge, kink, wrench, jarring, ache, convulsion, charley horse

Example sentences from the Web for crick

British Dictionary definitions for crick (1 of 3)

crick1
/ (krɪk) informal /

noun

a painful muscle spasm or cramp, esp in the neck or back

verb

(tr) to cause a crick in (the neck, back, etc)

Word Origin for crick

C15: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for crick (2 of 3)

crick2
/ (krɪk) /

noun

US and Canadian a dialect word for creek (def. 2)

British Dictionary definitions for crick (3 of 3)

Crick
/ (krɪk) /

noun

Francis Harry Compton. 1916–2004, English molecular biologist: helped to discover the helical structure of DNA; Nobel prize for physiology or medicine shared with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins 1962
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for crick (1 of 2)

crick
[ krĭk ]

n.

A painful cramp or muscle spasm, as in the back or neck.

v.

To cause a painful cramp or muscle spasm in by turning or wrenching.

Medical definitions for crick (2 of 2)

Crick
[ krĭk ]
Francis Henry Compton 1916-2004

British biologist who with James D. Watson proposed a spiral model, the double helix, for the molecular structure of DNA. He shared a 1962 Nobel Prize for advances in the study of genetics.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for crick

Crick
[ krĭk ]
Francis Harry Compton 1916-2004

See Note at Rosalind Franklin.

British biologist who with James D. Watson identified the structure of DNA in 1953. By analyzing the patterns cast by x-rays striking DNA molecules, they found that DNA has the structure of a double helix, consisting of two spirals linked together at the base, forming ladderlike rungs. For this work they shared the 1962 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine with Maurice Wilkins.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.