creel

American  

[kreel] / kril /

noun

1. a wickerwork basket worn on the back or suspended from the shoulder, used especially by anglers for carrying fish.

2. a basket made of wicker or other material, for holding fish, lobsters, etc.

3. a trap for fish, lobsters, etc., especially one made of wicker.

4. a framework, especially one for holding bobbins in a spinning machine.

---

creel British  

/ kriːl /

noun

1. a wickerwork basket, esp one used to hold fish

2. a wickerwork trap for catching lobsters, etc

3. the framework on a spinning machine that holds the bobbins

4. dialect a wooden frame suspended from a ceiling, used for drying clothes

---

Etymology

Origin of creel

1275–1325; Middle English crele, of uncertain origin

Example Sentences

A search is ongoing after an unoccupied creel boat washed ashore in Aberdeenshire.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

Family friend and local skipper James Robertson suggested she should try her hand at creel fishing on his boat off Elgol.

From BBC • May 12, 2025

Scientists who examined the carcass said it was tightly wrapped in creel rope.

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025

Bally says the fish stocks have dwindled through mismanagement of the seas and that creel fishing would be a more sustainable option.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2023

I galloped down the hall into the library with a fishing creel over my shoulder.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• box
• crate