creek
creek Lexical Profile
creek Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A natural stream of water that is smaller than a river and often serves as a tributary to a larger body of water (also standard in Australia and New Zealand).
"The children spent the afternoon wading in the shallow creek behind the farmhouse."
British A narrow, sheltered inlet, bay, or tidal estuary along a sea coast or river shoreline.
"The small fishing boat anchored safely inside a muddy tidal creek as the storm approached."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'creek' (a small stream or coastal inlet) with its homophone 'creak' (a harsh, high-pitched squeaking sound or the verb meaning to make such a sound).
• Rhymes for creek
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English creke, meaning a narrow inlet in a coastline, likely borrowed from Old Norse kriki ('nook' or 'bend') or Middle Dutch kreke. The sense shifted in North America and Australia as early explorers applied the coastal term to inland tributary streams.