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.

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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

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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

Harry Brook and Lawrence battled to add 45 for the fifth wicket, a significant achievement given the task they faced.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

His best act at Headingley was to win the toss and, after Ollie Robinson took a wicket with the first ball of the match, England were on top.

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026

Starc has now moved to 10th on the all-time Test wicket list with 445, 126 shy of Lyon's haul in sixth place.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

After pinning Azan Awais with his first ball, the seamer probed Masood's outside edge from round the wicket before switching the angle of his attack in his third over.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

I was sheepishly retreating also; but Mr. Rochester followed me, and when we reached the wicket, he said—

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

He will feel like he could take wickets running in blindfolded.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

His accuracy and ability to extract movement have seen him take 23 wickets this summer at a remarkable average of 8.3.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

After another eight wickets, England's seamer now has 23 wickets in three Tests at an average of 8.34 since his recall.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

As wickets fell around him, Cox remained composed.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

They were waiting for the wickets to open in the morning to buy tickets for the bull-fight.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway