crag
1 Americannoun
noun
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of crag1
1275–1325; Middle English < British Celtic; akin to Welsh craig rock
Origin of crag2
1425–75; late Middle English cragge < Middle Dutch crage neck, throat; cognate with German Kragen collar; cf. craw
Explanation
A crag is a rough, jagged section of rock. Some sections of the Maine coast are made up of rugged crags and rocky beaches. Steep rock faces and cliffs are covered with crags — if you're a rock climber, you might attempt to scale the crags of a jagged rocky mountain. Parts of northern England and Scotland are particularly famous for their crags, and in fact the root of the word crag is Celtic, related to the Old Irish crec, "rock," and the Welsh craig. "rock" or "stone."
Vocabulary lists containing crag
The Odyssey
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 9
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
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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:
Chris and Vicky Binks, who are running the session, are kept busy with constructing anchors at the top of the crag to fix top ropes, setting up equipment and helping climbers pick their routes.
From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2023
I wonder: Is it because favorite earrings are worn more often, thus putting them in harm’s way, fated to dangle dangerously from the earlobes like an alpinist clinging to a mountain crag?
From Washington Post ● Jun. 27, 2022
Spending a day at the crag, an outdoor climbing area, with experienced, trusted climbing friends is another great way to build skills.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2021
No one’s going to be standing at the crag telling you to go home.
From Slate ● Mar. 20, 2020
“Below. A hidden cove beneath the crag, which appears only when the tide is out.”
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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Joyce Hale, her husband, Jay, their 6-year-old granddaughter, Haley, and three friends were hiking to Hawksbill Crag in the Ozarks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026
The Inyo County Sheriff’s office, working with Inyo County Search and Rescue, scoured the area around Temple Crag with no success.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2025
Search and rescue coordinators with the sheriff’s office, Portland Mountain Rescue, Hood River Crag Rats and more set up a command center at Timberline Lodge, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 4, 2022
Blues coach Crag Berube downplayed the notion that Tarasenko would be a distraction for the team moving forward this season.
From Fox News ● Sep. 24, 2021
“If the waves ever do swallow this island, it will not happen for a very long time,” said Crag.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
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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.