What does "creel" mean?
A woven basket, especially a wicker basket.; An osier basket that anglers use to hold fish.
Creel
/kɹiːl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A woven basket, especially a wicker basket.; An osier basket that anglers use to hold fish.
- Grammar: creel is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: basket, basket for fish, creels, fill.
- Useful contrasts: empty, unload.
- Usage evidence: A well-used creel might better not be picked as a picnic hamper.
How to use "creel"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "creel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "creel" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "creel" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "creel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "creel" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "basket" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "creel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A woven basket, especially a wicker basket.; An osier basket that anglers use to hold fish.
"Return with a creel of trout for supper."
- 2 a wicker basket used by anglers to hold fish wordnet
- 3 A woven basket, especially a wicker basket.; Such a basket slung as a backpack for cargo, especially in times and places with limited or nonexistent wheeled transport, as for example among peasants in mountainous regions. historical
- 4 A woven basket, especially a wicker basket.; Such a basket slung as a backpack for cargo, especially in times and places with limited or nonexistent wheeled transport, as for example among peasants in mountainous regions.; Such a basket slung on a pack animal; a pannier. historical
- 5 A bar or set of bars with skewers for holding paying-off bobbins, as in the roving machine, throstle, and mule.
Verb
- 1 To place (fish) in a creel. transitive
- 2 To wrench or sprain. Appalachia, Southern-US
"For aught that appears in the record, plaintiff's fall was due entirely to the fact that his foot "creeled," and no one can say that his injuries were not due to the fall, but to the fact that he rolled down the embankment. […] he stepped around, and in doing so "creeled his foot in some way" and fell down the embankment, […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"A well-used creel might better not be picked as a picnic hamper."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "creel"?
Common synonyms include: basket, basket for fish, creels, fill, fish basket, fishing basket.
How do you use "creel" in a sentence?
A well-used creel might better not be picked as a picnic hamper.
How do you pronounce "creel"?
Pronounced /kɹiːl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Northern Middle English crele, possibly from an Old French root *creille, variant of greille (compare French grille), from Latin crāticula.
Etymology 2
Unclear. The English Dialect Dictionary has cites of a British dialectal verb creel "crouch, bend the body" from 1897.