creek

noun \ ˈkrēk , ˈkrik \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of creek

1 chiefly British : a small inlet or bay narrower and extending farther inland than a cove

2 : a natural stream of water normally smaller than and often tributary to a river

3 archaic : a narrow or winding passage

— up the creek

: in a difficult or perplexing situation

See creek defined for English-language learners

See creek defined for kids

Examples of creek in a Sentence

The children waded in the creek.
The coast is dotted with tiny creeks.

Recent Examples of creek from the Web

Police are investigating the death of a 27-year-old man whose body was found in a creek near Ford Heights on Tuesday.

— robert mccoppin, Daily Southtown, "Police investigating after man's body found in creek near Ford Heights," 10 Apr. 2018
Photo essays of sprawling lots of abandoned bikes in China, or bikes hanging from trees or sunk in creeks in Washington, DC or Dallas, are popular online clickbait.

— andrew j. hawkins, The Verge, "Uber acquires dockless bike-share startup Jump," 9 Apr. 2018
Woods had just dropped his tee shot into Rae’s creek.

— sean gregory, Time, "Tiger Woods Fell Short of a Miraculous Masters Comeback. But He Gave Himself a Chance," 5 Apr. 2018
Two teenagers looking for minnows to use as bait found Rose’s body face down in a creek.

— scott wartman, Cincinnati.com, "Tim Nolan was a judge. Tim Nolan was a conservative activist. Tim Nolan was a human trafficker.," 26 Mar. 2018
Hannah had found herself in a dirty creek in a residential area in Wheaton, Maryland, a mile and a half from her school.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "How a Young Woman Lost Her Identity," 26 Mar. 2018
In 2015, the company settled a case in Missouri for chemical releases that killed more than 100,000 fish in a Missouri creek.

— jamie mcgee, USA TODAY, "Tyson chicken plant rejected in one town, welcomed in another," 24 Mar. 2018
Two days after Harvey hit, some 457 million gallons of stormwater mixed with untreated wastewater, including oil and grease, surged into an adjacent creek.

— OrlandoSentinel.com, "Hurricane Harvey's toxic impact deeper than public told," 22 Mar. 2018
McDonald said the mottled sculpin, a species of fish that grows no more than 2.5 to 3.5 inches in length and lives in only clean, cold water habitats, are found in the creek.

— linda girardi, Aurora Beacon-News, "Kendall Forest District OKs $1.4 million for Little Rock Creek land," 16 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'creek.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of creek

Middle English crike, creke, from Old Norse -kriki bend

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

creek Synonyms

Synonyms

brook, brooklet, rill, rivulet, run [chiefly Midland], streamlet;

Related Words

arroyo, fresh, freshet, runoff;

bayou, coulee, slough (also slew), stream, wash;

canal, channel, cut, cutoff, gut, kill, millrace, millstream, race, watercourse, waterway;

affluent, branch, confluent, distributary, influent, tributary;

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

Creek

noun \ ˈkrēk \

Definition of Creek

1 : an American Indian confederacy of peoples chiefly of Muskogean stock of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida

2 : a member of any of the Creek peoples

3 : the Muskogean language of the Creek Indians

See Creek defined for kids

First Known Use of creek

1725

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

CREEK Defined for English Language Learners

creek

noun

Definition of creek for English Language Learners

: a small stream

CREEK Defined for Kids

creek

noun \ ˈkrēk , ˈkrik \

Definition of creek for Students

: a stream of water usually larger than a brook and smaller than a river

Creek

noun \ ˈkrēk \

Definition of Creek for Students

1 : a confederacy of American Indian people once occupying most of Alabama and Georgia

2 : the language of the Creek people

Learn More about creek

See words that rhyme with creek Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for creek Spanish Central: Translation of creek Nglish: Translation of creek for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of creek for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about creek

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creek

Definition of creek

Examples of creek in a Sentence

Recent Examples of creek from the Web

Origin and Etymology of creek

creek Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Geology Terms

Creek

Definition of Creek

First Known Use of creek

CREEK Defined for English Language Learners

creek

Definition of creek for English Language Learners

CREEK Defined for Kids

creek

Definition of creek for Students

Creek

Definition of Creek for Students

Learn More about creek

Seen and Heard

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