wicket

American  

[wik-it] / ˈwɪk ɪt /

noun

• wickets
  plural

1. a window or opening, often closed by a grating or the like, as in a door, or forming a place of communication in a ticket office, a teller's cage in a bank, etc.

2. Croquet. a hoop or arch.

3. a turnstile in an entrance.

4. a small door or gate, especially one beside, or forming part of, a larger one.

5. a small gate by which a canal lock is emptied.

6. a gate by which a flow of water is regulated, as to a waterwheel.

7. Cricket.

   1. either of the two frameworks, each consisting of three stumps with two bails in grooves across the tops, at which the bowler aims the ball.

   2. the area between these frameworks; the playing field.

   3. one batsman's turn at the wicket.

   4. the period during which two players bat together.

   5. a batsman's innings that is not completed or not begun.

---

idioms

1. to be on / have / bat a sticky wicket, to be at or have a disadvantage.

wicket British  

/ ˈwɪkɪt /

noun

1. a small door or gate, esp one that is near to or part of a larger one

2. a small window or opening in a door, esp one fitted with a grating or glass pane, used as a means of communication in a ticket office, bank, etc

3. a small sluicegate, esp one in a canal lock gate or by a water wheel

4. a croquet hoop

5. 1. cricket either of two constructions, placed 22 yards apart, consisting of three pointed stumps stuck parallel in the ground with two wooden bails resting on top, at which the batsman stands

   2. the strip of ground between these

   3. a batsman's turn at batting or the period during which two batsmen bat

      a third-wicket partnership

   4. the act or instance of a batsman being got out

      the bowler took six wickets

6. to act as a wicketkeeper

7. informal in an awkward situation

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-wicket
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• wickets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wicket

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English wiket, from Anglo-French; Old French guischet, from Germanic; compare Middle Dutch wiket “wicket,” equivalent to wik- (akin to Old English wīcan “to yield”; see weak) + -et, noun suffix

Explanation

A wicket is a little gate or door. In sports, wicket can refer to either the hoop you aim for when hitting a croquet ball or the stump you aim for when batting a cricket ball. The very oldest meaning of wicket is "small door or gate," and it's still used this way sometimes, especially when the door is beside or within a larger one. This type of wicket is often found in a very old garden entrance or the door to a grand castle. Since the 17th century, the cricket meaning has become the most common, although North Americans are usually talking about croquet when they mention wickets.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wicket wickets

Batters are dismissed every 295.5 balls when leaving; a good leave is certainly the best shot in the book when it comes to keeping your wicket intact.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Perhaps there was a time when the atmosphere felt flat, particularly when Imam and Shafique were adding 91 for the third wicket.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Under Strauss, when England rose to number one in the world rankings, England averaged 40 runs per wicket.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

England lose a wicket, on average, every 54.9 balls under Root.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

I make for the wicket leading to the shrubbery, and I see Mr. Rochester entering.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

England were boosted by a late cameo of 34 not out from Gus Atkinson, while Pakistan were led by four wickets from Muhammad Abbas and three from Mohammad Ali.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

If you break the speeds down to a single decimal, 84.6 mph has been the most productive wicket-taking delivery with 193 wickets in total.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

Since Carse made his Test debut in October 2024, no England bowler has taken more than his 58 wickets.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

No bowler has more Test wickets for England than Carse's 58 since he made his debut in October 2024.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

If we couldn’t afford a proper cricket ball, we made one out of an old sock stuffed with rubbish; and we drew wickets on the wall in chalk.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai