creek
noun
a stream smaller than a river.
creek
1 American
[kreek, krik]
/ krik, krɪk /
noun
-
creeks
plural
-
U.S. and Canada. a stream smaller than a river.
-
a stream or channel in a coastal marsh.
-
Chiefly Atlantic States and British. a recess or inlet in the shore of the sea.
-
an estuary.
-
British Dialect. a narrow, winding passage or hidden recess.
idioms
Creek
2
American
[kreek]
/ krik /
noun
-
Creeks,
plural
-
Creek
plural
-
a member of a confederacy of North American Indians that in historic times occupied the greater part of Alabama and Georgia.
-
Also called Muskogee. a Muskogean language that is the language of the Creek Indians.
creek
1
British
/ kriːk /
noun
-
a narrow inlet or bay, esp of the sea
-
a small stream or tributary
-
slang in trouble; in a difficult position
Creek
2
British
/ kriːk /
noun
-
a member of a confederacy of Native American peoples formerly living in Georgia and Alabama, now chiefly in Oklahoma
-
any of the languages of these peoples, belonging to the Muskhogean family
creek
More Idioms
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Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of creek
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English creke, variant of crike, from Old Norse kriki “bend, crook”
Explanation
A creek is a stream — like a river, but smaller — and if you grew up in the TV version of rural America, you probably had a creek babbling through your backyard and a dog that looked like Lassie. If you're "up a creek," or "up a creek without a paddle," you've got a problem with no solution in sight. Say you're out in the middle of nowhere, your cell phone battery has just died, and your car won't start. Unless you've got a solar charger or a tow truck comes along, you're definitely up a creek.
Vocabulary lists containing creek
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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The Lions of Little Rock
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Lost Boy, Lost Girl
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The community offered access to a lake and creek, along with equestrian facilities and a shared lodge.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 22, 2026
Following his confession, Oxford led police beyond a set of railroad tracks, past a church, to a tree stump near the bank of a creek.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Ever since, lawyers for industrial interests and environmental groups have debated exactly how watery some swamp or creek must be to qualify for protection.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Nearly all footbridges were destroyed, eliminating hiker access to the creek.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
I went back to the creek whenever I could.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Tencent, Contemporary Amperex Technology and Stony Creek Capital are among the investors that participated in the latest round.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
The vehicle veered off the road into multiple rocks on Saturday along Highway 1 near Deer Creek.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
This ongoing Porchfest takes place in Ithaca’s Fall Creek and Northside neighborhoods.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Thomas the T. rex was excavated from Hell Creek in Montana, a site that also produced ancient crocodilian fossils analyzed by the researchers.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
The Muscogee, or Creek, Confederacy included a number of Indigenous nations with homelands that covered much of present-day Georgia, Alabama, and parts of northern Florida.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Newton and Noss Creeks, Devon – a narrow tidal inlet just off the River Yealm in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026
Fire crews were starting work on the eastern edge of the Swillup fire Wednesday while drones were expected to check for heat in the Canyon, Three Creeks, Elliot and Swillup fires.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2023
Because the Poarch Creeks are a federally recognized tribe, they have qualified immunity and cannot be sued for developing their land, according to his opinion.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 22, 2023
Intermarriage between Creeks and Whites also further complicated the situation.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 26, 2023
His reputation as a fierce soldier began during a hard-fought war against the Creeks, a native nation allied with the British.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
The sizable farm was previously described as being home to an abundance of wildlife—and multiple trails and two year-round creeks run through the land.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Environmental and fishing advocates say they’re hoping the seasonal rains come soon to refill the river and allow the fish to reach the creeks where they can lay their eggs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Dixon said she and others who worked in the town’s contaminated creeks developed symptoms like dizziness and rashes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Also known as grabblers or hand-fishermen, noodlers use their own bare limbs as bait to catch enormous flathead catfish lurking in Southern and Midwestern rivers, creeks, and lakes.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Thanks to the thick bushes and the swamps and muddy banks that bordered the creeks, only small bodies could wiggle into the dry nooks and crannies of the island.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
