cricket

noun

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

Examples of cricket in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But most bait users stick to tried-and-true oldies — minnows and worms, crawdads and crickets. —Byron W. Dalrymple, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2026

This October, Kip Moore will return to South Africa to perform at a 22,000-seat cricket stadium and do back-to-back nights at a Cape Town arena. —Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 3 June 2026

And yet the Broncos followed an AFC Championship Game loss with an offseason of crickets chirping. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 3 June 2026

Zee’s Unite8 Sports portfolio already carries cricket, kabaddi, badminton, wrestling and combat sports alongside football. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

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

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