crochet
Americannoun
-
crochets
plural
verb (used with or without object)
-
crochets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
crocheted,
past participle, past
-
crocheting
present participle
verb
noun
-
work made by crocheting
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architect another name for crocket
-
zoology a hooklike structure of insect larvae that aids locomotion
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
crochetsimple
-
crochetssimple
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have crochetedperfect
-
has crochetedperfect
-
am crochetingprogressive
-
are crochetingprogressive
-
is crochetingprogressive
-
have been crochetingperfect progressive
-
has been crochetingperfect progressive
Past
-
crochetedsimple
-
had crochetedperfect
-
was crochetingprogressive
-
were crochetingprogressive
-
had been crochetingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing crochet
Life As We Knew It
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English Words Derived from French, List 6
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Towers Falling
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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.
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
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"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
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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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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.