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 Word Forms

• 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

Australia's coastal fatalities mostly occur around creeks and headlands at high tide when "it's chaos in the water", Everard explained.

From BBC

There’s one specific spot along the trail that has really good access to this free-flowing creek.

From Los Angeles Times

I miss the East Coast a lot — I miss shade and creeks.

From Los Angeles Times

“Our Mediterranean climate doesn’t allow for our rivers and streams, and the creeks that flow into them, to flow permanently,” Bothwell said.

From Los Angeles Times

After World War Two ended, the chemical was dumped near the creek and left uncovered, allowing waste to seep into the area.

From BBC