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

Paul also has ownership stakes in the Indian cricket team, the Rajasthan Royals; WatchBox, an online luxury watch platform; and The Soccer Tournament, or TST, a $1 million winner-take-all men’s and women’s league. —Jabari Young, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025

The cricket fields were added as the fourth phase of the city’s redesign of Harambee Park, formerly Franklin Field. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 14 Aug. 2025

Verb

The Hundred is a product of the ECB’s efforts to introduce young audiences to cricket. —Sukhman Singh, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2025

Botanical references, preppy styling and nods to cricket—the next big sport that Kupryjaniuk said is set to inspire fashion—were identified across collections. —Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 25 July 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"