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• becket
  becket

  noun

  a short length of rope for securing spars, coils of rope, etc., having an eye at one end and a thick knot or a toggle at the other, which is passed through the eye.
• Becket
  Becket

  noun

  Saint Thomas à, 1118?–70, archbishop of Canterbury: murdered because of his opposition to Henry II's policies toward the church.

becket

¹ American  

[bek-it] / ˈbɛk ɪt /

noun

Nautical.

1. a short length of rope for securing spars, coils of rope, etc., having an eye at one end and a thick knot or a toggle at the other, which is passed through the eye.

2. a grommet of rope, as one used as a handle or oarlock.

3. a grommet or eye on a block to which the standing end of a fall can be secured.

4. a wooden cleat or hook secured to the shrouds of a sailing vessel to hold tacks and sheets not in use.

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Becket ² American  

[bek-it] / ˈbɛk ɪt /

noun

1. Saint Thomas à, 1118?–70, archbishop of Canterbury: murdered because of his opposition to Henry II's policies toward the church.

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becket ¹ British  

/ ˈbɛkɪt /

noun

1. a clevis forming part of one end of a sheave, used for securing standing lines by means of a thimble

2. a short line with a grommet or eye at one end and a knot at the other, used for securing spars or other gear in place

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Becket ² British  

/ ˈbɛkɪt /

noun

1. Saint Thomas à . 1118–70, English prelate; chancellor (1155–62) to Henry II; archbishop of Canterbury (1162–70): murdered following his opposition to Henry's attempts to control the clergy. Feast day: Dec 29 or July 7

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Etymology

Origin of becket

First recorded in 1760–70; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

becket Becket

Also, a bit of canvas sewed into the centre of a sail near the head, with an eyelet-hole in the middle for the bunt-jigger or becket to go through.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir

A becket, or piece of cord made of cocoa-nut bark, used in throwing their lances.

From A Voyage Towards the South Pole and Round the World, Volume 1 by Cook, James

In striving to jerk the becket clear, it parted, and the forward ends of the four sweeps rolled down the schooner's side into the water.

From Ned Myers or, a Life Before the Mast by Cooper, James Fenimore

The main-sheet ends in a jig of a single block and a single block with becket.

From The Boy Mechanic: Volume 1 700 Things for Boys to Do by Popular Mechanics Co.

Have to leave the china in the becket for a while yet, but all that wants can make a mug-up, and when we get inside––if we do in anything like a decent hour––we’ll have breakfast.”

From The Seiners by Connolly, James B. (James Brendan)

It was for this reason Kevin “Seamus” Hasson, a Notre Dame alumnus and attorney with Williams & Connolly, founded Becket in 1994.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

On our way there, we stopped in Heptonstall, a tiny town above Hebden Bridge, where Sylvia Plath is buried in the St. Thomas A’ Becket churchyard.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026

While walking the Becket Way, her group will join prayer services at churches, cathedrals and abbeys, as well as meeting with other pilgrims and visiting schools.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

“Parents’ fundamental right to raise their children according to their faith doesn’t stop at the schoolhouse door,” said Mark Rienzi, president of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026

Earl, 311 Attechapel, Bartholomew, 26 B Badlesmere, Lord, 297 Banastre, Katherine, 184 Becket, St. Thomas à, 142, 143, 169, 288 Bedfellows, 87, 140 Belknap, Chief Justice, 264 Berkeley, the family of, 52, 179, 195 ff.,

From Chaucer and His England by Coulton, G. G.