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definitions

cricket

1
[ krik-it ]
/ ˈkrɪk ɪt /
|
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noun

any of several jumping, orthopterous insects of the family Gryllidae, characterized by long antennae and stridulating organs on the forewings of the male, as one of the species commonly found in pastures and meadows (field cricket) or on trees and shrubs (tree cricket).
a small metal toy with a flat metal spring that snaps back and forth with a clicking, cricketlike noise when pressed.

RELATED WORDS

fair, decent, honest, unbiased, reasonable, stable, proper, just, candid, disinterested, dispassionate, due, ethical, even-handed, impersonal, level, moral, nonpartisan, objective, proportionate

Nearby words

  1. crichton,
  2. crichton, james,
  3. crick,
  4. crick, francis h. c.,
  5. crick, francis harry compton,
  6. cricket frog,
  7. cricket table,
  8. cricketer,
  9. cricoarytenoid,
  10. cricoarytenoid muscle

Origin of cricket

1
1275–1325; Middle English criket insect < Old French criquet, equivalent to criqu(er) to creak (imitative) + -et -et
Related formscrick·et·like, adjective

cricket

2
[ krik-it ]
/ ˈkrɪk ɪt /

noun

a game, popular especially in England, for two teams of 11 members each that is played on a field having two wickets 22 yards (20 meters) apart, the object being to score runs by batting the ball far enough so that one is enabled to exchange wickets with the batsman defending the opposite wicket before the ball is recovered.
fair play; honorable conduct: It wouldn't be cricket to look at his cards.

verb (used without object)

to play cricket.

Origin of cricket

2
1590–1600; < Middle French criquet goal post, perhaps < early Dutch krick(e) arm, crosspiece, gallows
Related formscrick·et·er, noun

cricket

3
[ krik-it ]
/ ˈkrɪk ɪt /

noun

a small, low stool.

Origin of cricket

3
First recorded in 1635–45; of obscure origin; compare cracket, with same sense

cricket

4
[ krik-it ]
/ ˈkrɪk ɪt /

noun

(on a sloping roof) a small roof for diverting rain water around an obstruction, as a chimney.

Origin of cricket

4
of uncertain origin
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cricket

British Dictionary definitions for cricket

cricket

1
/ (ˈkrɪkɪt) /

noun

any insect of the orthopterous family Gryllidae, having long antennae and, in the males, the ability to produce a chirping sound (stridulation) by rubbing together the leathery forewings
any of various related insects, such as the mole cricket

Word Origin for cricket

C14: from Old French criquet, from criquer to creak, of imitative origin

noun

  1. a game played by two teams of eleven players on a field with a wicket at either end of a 22-yard pitch, the object being for one side to score runs by hitting a hard leather-covered ball with a bat while the other side tries to dismiss them by bowling, catching, running them out, etc
  2. (as modifier)a cricket bat
not cricket informal not fair play

verb (intr)

to play cricket
Derived Formscricketer, noun

Word Origin for cricket

C16: from Old French criquet goalpost, wicket, of uncertain origin

noun

a small low stool

Word Origin for cricket

C17: of unknown origin
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
Word Origin and History for cricket
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with cricket

cricket

see not cricket.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.