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crochet

American  
[kroh-shey, kroh-shey, -shee] / kroʊˈʃeɪ, ˈkroʊ ʃeɪ, -ʃi /

noun

  • crochets
    plural
  1. needlework done with a needle having a small hook at one end for drawing the thread or yarn through intertwined loops.


verb (used with or without object)

  • crochets,
    present (3rd person singular)
  • crocheted,
    past participle,  past
  • crocheting
    present participle
  1. to form by crochet.

crochet British  
/ -ʃɪ, ˈkrəʊʃeɪ /

verb

  1. to make (a piece of needlework, a garment, etc) by looping and intertwining thread with a hooked needle ( crochet hook )

"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

noun

  1. work made by crocheting

  2. architect another name for crocket

  3. zoology a hooklike structure of insect larvae that aids locomotion

"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

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Etymology

Origin of crochet

1840–50; < French: knitting needle, literally, small hook, diminutive of croche, croc < Middle English or Scandinavian. See crook 1, -et

Explanation

You can crochet by winding loops of yarn around a crochet hook, creating little knots that form patterns and — eventually — blankets, pillow covers, doilies, or hot pads. If your brother wants to make an afghan out of rainbow-colored yarn, he should learn how to crochet, or to make textiles by looping yarn with a special hook. Crocheting is similar to knitting, but people who crochet use a different tool. The word crochet comes from French and is therefore pronounced "crow shay." The root word is croc, or "hook."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing crochet

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.

See Examples For:

"I don't think it is useful to spend this money on tigers," she said, working on a yellow piece of crochet.

From Barron's Jul. 8, 2026

And underemployed workers might wind up with more hours of free time for creative pursuits, or what one facilitator jokingly called “the crochet economy.”

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 13, 2026

Dow was blown away by the crochet love, but also by how two very different worlds could come together.

From BBC Nov. 26, 2025

Earlier this fall, I decided to learn to crochet in earnest.

From Salon Nov. 4, 2025

They should have put her crochet needle in the box next to her, and yarn so she’ll have something to do in Eternity.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

"She's very introverted. She likes to stay home and do little hobbies. She knits and crochets."

From BBC Jun. 4, 2026

She also is involved in her church and crochets.

From Seattle Times Feb. 23, 2022

And he crochets: Crawford is part of Needle Wizards, a group that knits clothes and teddy bears for cancer patients and homeless shelters.

From The Guardian Aug. 21, 2018

In her private life, she likes to make things: She cooks, she crochets, she knits, she sketches, and she makes collages.

From New York Times Sep. 9, 2016

"Katie Mallard crochets the cunningest little doll-caps you ever saw," suggested Kitty.

From The Little Colonel at Boarding-School by Annie F. (Annie Fellows) Johnston

Tucked under her bed and behind cabinets he found more than 50 pieces—including crocheted top hats and sausage-like sculptures—that she’d created.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 20, 2026

As she walks towards her new engineering life - naturally with a small crocheted World Cup - she says she won't turn her back on the game.

From BBC Nov. 26, 2025

“I like color and pattern and objects,” she said as she pointed out some Japanese ceramics on her buffet and a dress that she crocheted with scraps of fabric, yarn and metal.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 23, 2025

Later, Mars and Lady Gaga cosplayed a version of “California Dreamin’,” with Stefani Germanotta donning a crocheted cap and prairie dress and going overboard with a kooky psychedelic lean.

From Salon Feb. 3, 2025

“Right over here,” she answered, pulling back the covers on May’s bed, the pink-and-brown afghan May had crocheted with popcorn stitches.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

Maya Lane, 23, says she usually spends her train journeys reading or crocheting.

From BBC May 30, 2026

Two weeks before the show, young seamstresses were crocheting floral motifs in mohair and Japanese metallic thread at a south London studio overlooking the Thames river and Big Ben.

From Barron's Feb. 18, 2026

Fiber arts like knitting, crocheting, and embroidery have never been completely apolitical.

From Slate Jan. 29, 2026

James Wyman supported the popular theory that it was a device used for knitting, while Lauren Dolphin, from Essex, said: "It is for crocheting gloves, different holes for different finger/thumb sizes."

From BBC May 4, 2024

Pa and Aunt Pretty and even Sal listened in silence, except for an occasional “My word,” or “I never heard that!” from my aunt, who stopped crocheting entirely by the third Wonder.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

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