What does "cricket" mean?
An insect in the order Orthoptera, especially family Gryllidae, that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wing casings against combs on its hind legs.
Cricket
/ˈkɹɪkᵻt/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An insect in the order Orthoptera, especially family Gryllidae, that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wing casings against combs on its hind legs.
- Grammar: cricket is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bat-and-ball sport, bingo, boiler factory, boiler room.
- Useful contrasts: baseball.
- Usage evidence: Just as Japanese boys play baseball, so English boys play cricket.
How to use "cricket"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cricket" 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 "cricket" 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 "cricket" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cricket" 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 "cricket" is acting as noun, verb, slang 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 "bat-and-ball sport" 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 "cricket", 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 An insect in the order Orthoptera, especially family Gryllidae, that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wing casings against combs on its hind legs.
- 2 A game played outdoors with bats and a ball between two teams of eleven, popular in England and many Commonwealth countries. uncountable
- 3 A wooden footstool. dialectal
"Heawe’er I pood o Cricket, on keaw’rt meh deawn ith Nook, o side oth' Hob"
- 4 a game played with a ball and bat by two teams of 11 players; teams take turns trying to score runs wordnet
- 5 An insect in the order Orthoptera, especially family Gryllidae, that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wing casings against combs on its hind legs.; In the form crickets: absolute silence; no communication. US, humorous, in-plural, slang
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 An act that is fair and sportsmanlike. British, uncountable
"Robbins went on, "Henry wouldn't do anything that wasn't cricket. Me, I was raised in a river ward and I'm not bothered by niceties. […]"
- 7 A relatively small area of a roof constructed to divert water from a horizontal intersection of the roof with a chimney, wall, expansion joint, or other projection.
- 8 leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together wordnet
- 9 A signalling device used by soldiers in hostile territory to identify themselves to a friendly in low visibility conditions.
- 10 A variant of the game of darts. See Cricket (darts). uncountable
- 11 An aural warning sound consisting of a continuously-repeating chime, designed to be difficult for pilots to ignore. slang
Verb
- 1 To play the game of cricket. intransitive, rare
"Judge: Your family is in destitute circumstances. How do you get your living? Bannerman: By cricketing, your Worship."
- 2 play cricket wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Just as Japanese boys play baseball, so English boys play cricket."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cricket"?
Common synonyms include: bat-and-ball sport, bingo, boiler factory, boiler room, bull-roarer, candor.
How do you use "cricket" in a sentence?
Just as Japanese boys play baseball, so English boys play cricket.
How do you pronounce "cricket"?
Pronounced /ˈkɹɪkᵻt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English creket, crykett, crykette, from Old French criket (with diminutive -et) from criquer (“to make a cracking sound; creak”), from Middle Dutch kricken (“to creak; crack”), from Proto-West Germanic *krakōn, from Proto-Germanic *krakōną, related to Middle English creken, criken (“to creak”), all ultimately of imitative origin. Compare Dutch kriek (“cricket”), Middle Dutch krikel, criekel, crekel (“cricket”) (with diminituve -el), Middle Low German krikel, krekel (“cricket”), German Kreckel (“cricket”). More at creak.
Etymology 2
Perhaps from a Flemish dialect of Dutch met de krik ketsen (“to chase a ball with a curved stick”).
Etymology 3
The etymology is unknown. A few similar words exist in Germanic languages, such as Norwegian krakk (“stool”).