derrick

American  

[der-ik] / ˈdɛr ɪk /

noun

derricks plural

1. Machinery. a jib crane having a boom hinged near the base of the mast so as to rotate about the mast, for moving a load toward or away from the mast by raising or lowering the boom.

2. Also called oil derrick.  the towerlike framework over an oil well or the like.

3. a boom for lifting cargo, pivoted at its inner end to a ship's mast or kingpost, and raised and supported at its outer end by topping lifts.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. Machinery. luff.

derrick British  

/ ˈdɛrɪk /

noun

1. a simple crane having lifting tackle slung from a boom

2. the framework erected over an oil well to enable drill tubes to be raised and lowered

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verb

1. to raise or lower the jib of (a crane)

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• derricks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of derrick

Originally a hangman, the gallows, after the surname of a well-known Tyburn hangman, circa 1600

Explanation

A derrick is either a crane for lifting material or a framework over an oil well that allows the drilling machinery to be raised and lowered. A 17th century English hangman named Derrick led to a gallows being called a derrick. From there, a crane with a moveable arm came to be called a derrick because it resembled a gallows. Later, another kind of derrick was created: the kind of framework you can probably picture if you think of an oil well. That derrick allows the drilling tubes to move up and down, and all these types of derricks have a similar, up-and-down purpose.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

derrick derricks

A giant wooden oil derrick serves as a central landmark in Taft, which finances its schools, fire department and police force with oil revenues.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025

First cranes, then the drilling derrick and finally the accommodation modules fell into the sea.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2025

For Anderson’s 2007 mad epic, he walked ranches around Marfa, Texas, before deciding on the knoll where the 90-foot oil derrick would go.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024

It characterizes the wildcatter and oil derrick as "Texas icons."

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2022

Workers hurried around the base of the derrick.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Vauxhall, 150 miles southeast of Calgary, calls itself the “Potato Capital of the West,” but its spud fields whiff of petroleum because they also sprout oil derricks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

“We must and will do it all — from oil derricks on our Coast to solar panels in the Delta,” Reeves said.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2024

This is the first and last time they will appear this carefree, dancing against a wide-open landscape that will soon be dotted with oil derricks, looming emblems of America’s industrial and capitalist boom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2023

Offshore wind advocates point out that oil derricks are also threatened by hurricanes, and most of the nation’s wind projects have so far held up to powerful storms.

From Washington Times ● Sep. 11, 2023

They were hoisted out of the boats with derricks and windlasses built by the carpenters and put into waiting carts that carried them through the town to the site.

From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay