noun
crick
krihk
noun
1
A sudden, painful stiffness in a muscle, usually in the neck or back, that makes it hard to move for a while.
"She woke up with a crick in her neck from sleeping awkwardly."
"Bending over the desk all day gave him a crick in his back."
verb
1
To twist or strain a part of the body, causing this kind of stiffness.
"He cricked his neck trying to look over the fence."
How to Use Crick
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small, sharp stiffness in your neck or back after sleeping or moving oddly.
Common pairings
a crick in the neck
crick in your back
Word Forms
cricked past tense, cricked past tense, cricks plural, cricks plural, cricks singular, cricks singular
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She woke up with a _____ in her neck from sleeping awkwardly.
Etymology
From Middle English crike/crykke, "a muscle spasm," possibly related to Old Norse kriki ("a bend or nook") — the same root that gave us "creek."