creek

¹

[ kreek, krik ]

noun

1. U.S. and Canada. a stream smaller than a river.
2. a stream or channel in a coastal marsh.
3. Chiefly Atlantic States and British. a recess or inlet in the shore of the sea.
4. an estuary.
5. British Dialect. a narrow, winding passage or hidden recess.

Creek

²

[ kreek ]

noun

, plural Creeks, (especially collectively) Creek.

1. a member of a confederacy of North American Indians that in historic times occupied the greater part of Alabama and Georgia.
2. Also called Muskogee. a Muskogean language that is the language of the Creek Indians.

Creek

¹

/ kriːk /

noun

1. CreekCreeks a member of a confederacy of Native American peoples formerly living in Georgia and Alabama, now chiefly in Oklahoma
2. any of the languages of these peoples, belonging to the Muskhogean family

creek

²

/ kriːk /

noun

1. a narrow inlet or bay, esp of the sea
2. a small stream or tributary
3. up the creek slang.
   in trouble; in a difficult position

Other Words From

• sub·creek noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of creek¹

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English creke, variant of crike, from Old Norse kriki “bend, crook”

Word History and Origins

Origin of creek¹

C13: from Old Norse kriki nook; related to Middle Dutch krēke creek, inlet

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. up the / a creek (without a paddle), Informal. in a predicament; in a difficult or seemingly hopeless situation:

   The pension is so small, I'd be up the creek if I had no other income.

   Don't ask me to navigate, or we'll be up a creek without a paddle in no time.

More idioms and phrases containing creek

see up a creek .

Example Sentences

Native to rivers and creeks in China and Southeast Asia, the bivalves have appeared in waterways elsewhere in Asia as well as South American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

From Los Angeles Times

Along with olives, Chalice Farm also grows perennial vegetables, fruit and nuts on their sunshine-drenched land surrounded by creeks and forested ridge.

From Salon

“During COVID, I was showering in the creek,” she said, because social distancing requirements made invitations to use indoor bathrooms hard to come by.

From Los Angeles Times

Reed said he isn’t surprised the fish have quickly made their way far upriver and into their ancestral creeks.

From Los Angeles Times

Follow the path to the Ballona Creek channel, turn right and walk along the creek, cross the bridge and head back to the beach.

From Los Angeles Times