neck

noun

\ ˈnek

Definition of neck

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(1) : the part of an animal that connects the head with the body

(2) : the siphon of a bivalve mollusk (such as a clam)

b : the part of a garment that covers or is next to the neck

2 : a relatively narrow part suggestive of a neck: such as

a(1) : the constricted end of a bottle

(2) : the slender proximal end of a fruit

b : cervix sense 2

c : the part of a stringed musical instrument extending from the body and supporting the fingerboard and strings

d : a narrow stretch of land

e : strait sense 1b

f : the part of a tooth between the crown and the root — see tooth illustration

g : a column of solidified magma of a volcanic pipe or laccolith

3 : a narrow margin won by a neck

4 : region, part my neck of the woods

neck

verb

necked; necking; necks

Definition of neck (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to kiss and caress amorously

2 : to reduce in diameter

intransitive verb

1 : to engage in amorous kissing and caressing

2 : to become constricted : narrow

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Examples of neck in a Sentence

Noun

She craned her neck to see what was going on. A giraffe is an animal with a very long neck. He broke his neck in the accident. He likes T-shirts with round necks. He grabbed the neck of the bottle.

Verb

The young lovers necked on the park bench. They were necking in the corner of the room.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Lacey’s mug reveals decades of sun and single-malt Scotch—the hooded lids, the sagging chin, the lines running like canyons down his face and into his neck. — Christine Biederman, WIRED, "Inside Backpage.com’s Vicious Battle With the Feds," 18 June 2019 Fellow linebacker De’Andre Wilder missed all of last season after hurting his neck during training camp. — Christy Cabrera Chirinos, sun-sentinel.com, "Linebacker Corey Flagg commits to Miami, helps Hurricanes address position of need," 18 June 2019 Several of the 119 Canton High School graduates had colorful cords draped over their shoulders and shiny medals around their necks for their commencement ceremony Friday on the school’s baseball field. — Tess Vrbin, courant.com, "119 graduate from Canton High School," 17 June 2019 Larson was lying on his back, eyes closed and a blanket pulled up to his neck. — Jason Pohl, ProPublica, "There Has Been an Explosion of Homicides in California’s County Jails. Here’s Why.," 15 June 2019 The first officer grabbed the mother and the baby around both of their necks and tried to take the baby out of the mother’s hand. — Essence, "Phoenix Police Under Fire After Officers Assault Baby, Threaten To Shoot Father ‘In The F—king Head’," 14 June 2019 Carefully roll the bandana to contain the cubes in the row, tie it around your neck and head outside to play. — Donna Erickson, Twin Cities, "Donna Erickson: Tips and ideas for summer play all day, every day," 13 June 2019 Khai Khem was still chained by his neck to a hook in the floor. — Natasha Daly, National Geographic, "Suffering unseen: The dark truth behind wildlife tourism," 12 June 2019 Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but the 90-day precipitation forecast for our neck of the woods is that dreaded average! — Paul Cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "Hate to break it to you, but you're already not watering your garden enough," 7 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The giraffes with longer necks were more successful in getting food and produced more longer-necked offspring. — Quanta Magazine, "Can Darwinian Evolution Explain Lamarckism?," 11 May 2017 Think of a sauropod, and a species like Brachiosaurus may come to mind: Long-necked, long-tailed, straight-legged with giant bodies and small heads. — Amina Khan, latimes.com, "These long-necked, elephant-sized dinosaurs arose long before Brachiosaurus," 9 July 2018 Her dress, with a flowing train 16-feet long, was pure white, boat-necked, and minimal. — BostonGlobe.com, "After generations of aristocratic weddings, one reflects modern Britain," 19 May 2018 That improvement will help address bottle-necking around the small streets of Gilbert's popular downtown. — Lily Altavena, azcentral, "Parks, roads and more: 7 projects on the horizon for Gilbert taxpayers," 10 May 2018 Long-necked with eyelashes to die for just like her parents, the baby giraffe's umbilical cord was still attached on Tuesday. — Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee Zoo's latest resident is 6 feet, 1 inch of adorableness," 22 May 2018 In one corner, a business-casual couple were necking in a cozy booth over white wine and small plates of charred swordfish. — Tas Tobey, New York Times, "New Speakeasy Memorializes an Old-School Journalist Haunt," 31 Jan. 2018 There’s the annual molt, during which even the crows are disheveled and pencil-necked. — Murr Brewster, The Christian Science Monitor, "Why every writer needs a tree," 13 Sep. 2017 Researchers on Wednesday described fossils of a long-necked, four-legged, meat-eating reptile called Teleocrater rhadinus. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, "Secret White House Visits: Now Easier Than Ever!," 14 Apr. 2017

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