cricket
1 Americannoun
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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.
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a small metal toy with a flat metal spring that snaps back and forth with a clicking, cricketlike noise when pressed.
noun
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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.
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fair play; honorable conduct.
It wouldn't be cricket to look at his cards.
verb (used without object)
noun
noun
noun
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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
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( as modifier )
a cricket bat
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informal not fair play
verb
noun
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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
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any of various related insects, such as the mole cricket
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of cricket1
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English criket, creket, from Old French criquet, equivalent to criqu(er) “to creak” (imitative) + -et noun suffix; see -et
Origin of cricket2
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French criquet “goalpost”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Middle Dutch krick(e) “arm, crosspiece, stick, staff, gallows”
Origin of cricket3
First recorded in 1635–45; of obscure origin; compare cracket, with same sense
Origin of cricket4
Of uncertain origin
Explanation
A cricket is a chirping insect that resembles a grasshopper. Cricket is also a popular British sport played with a ball and a flat bat. A cricket might be on the cricket field, but it’s too little to throw the ball. Crickets have small wings and antennae, and while they don't fly, they can hop far. In some places, it's common to keep a cricket as a pet — and in other places, crickets are eaten and considered crispy delicacies. If you ever get a cricket mixed up with a grasshopper, remember that crickets are usually brown and grasshoppers are green. The root of the insect is criquer, "creak or crackle," and the sport comes from cricke, Middle Dutch for "stick."
Vocabulary lists containing cricket
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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.
Compared to his England Test team-mates, Stokes' absence from white-ball cricket is unusual.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
One issue Stokes has when it comes to finding a rhythm to his batting is a lack of cricket outside playing for England.
From BBC • Jun. 8, 2026
"From someone who loves Test cricket, is that something that will benefit Test cricket? I don't think so," Stokes told BBC Test Match Special.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Seamer Ollie Robinson was outstanding on his return to Test cricket, though his skills were never in doubt - particularly in conditions such as these.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
Around her, the urban wilderness churned with cricket calls and the gentle swoosh of trees.
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
