cricket

1 of 3

noun (1)

crick·​et ˈkri-kət 

plural crickets

1

: any of a family (Gryllidae) of leaping orthopteran insects noted for the chirping notes produced by the male by rubbing together specially modified parts of the forewings

2

crickets : a conspicuous lack of response : silence

At one point I asked him a question and took a long sip of my drink to allow him a moment to pose the question back to me. It was crickets … Silence.

—The Star

And yet, nothing. Crickets. Silence.

—Kurt Bardella

You post day in and day out hoping to see the social side of social media start to happen. Sometimes, a like or two will pop up, but most of the time, you hear crickets. It's disheartening.

—Jordan Kasteler

3

: a low wooden footstool

4

: a small metal toy or signaling device that makes a sharp click or snap when pressed

Illustration of cricket

• cricket 1

cricket

2 of 3

noun (2)

1

: a game played with a ball and bat by two sides of usually 11 players each on a large field centering upon two wickets each defended by a batsman

2

: fair and honorable behavior

… it wasn't cricket for her to break her contract.

—Gerry Nadel

cricket

3 of 3

verb

cricketed; cricketing; crickets

intransitive verb

: to play the game of cricket

cricketer noun

Examples of cricket in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The armored one skirts stems, mushrooms, and sleeping crickets before sinking her mandibles into the fallen leaf of a hydrangea. —María Ospina, The Dial, 31 Mar. 2026

Times Group, another of RCB’s new co-owners, is already heavily invested in the American cricket market. —Chetan Narula, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026

Verb

Highly rated at Surrey, the 2025 domestic summer gave the wider cricketing world a glimpse of Albert’s all-round talent. —Sam Dalling, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026

New to cricket Ironically, Moss has only been playing cricket for a few months. —Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English criket, from Anglo-French, of imitative origin

Noun (2)

Middle French criquet goal stake in a bowling game

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1809, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cricket

• house cricket
• Jerusalem cricket
• mole cricket
• Mormon cricket
• not cricket

Rhymes for cricket

• chicot
• picket
• picot
• thicket
• ticket
• wicket

Kids Definition

cricket

1 of 2 noun

crick·​et ˈkrik-ət 

: any of a family of leaping insects related to the grasshoppers and having leathery forewings used by the males to produce a chirping sound

cricket

2 of 2 noun

1

: a game played on a large field with bats, ball, and wickets by two teams of 11 players each

2

: fair play

cricketer noun

Etymology

Noun

Middle English criket "cricket (insect)," from early French criquet (same meaning); probably an imitation of the insect's sound

Noun

from early French criquet "goal stake in an old bowling game"