Standard Lemma guide

creek

adj · name · noun · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

/ˈkɹiːk/
[khɹwɪi̯k]
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
/ˈkɹɪk/ Appalachia, dated elsewhere in the US
[ˈkhɹwɪk] Appalachia, dated elsewhere in the US
US, Appalachia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -iːk
rhymes with -ɪk
homophone: creak
homophone: crick
CMU ARPABET: K R IY1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

adj

Meaning 1

Of or pertaining to the Creek tribe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

The chieftain was well versed in Creek history.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

name

Meaning 2

The Muskogean language of the Creek tribe.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

name

Meaning 3

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

name

Meaning 4

The ship of characters Craig Tucker and Tweek Tweak from the South Park series.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

Topics: lifestyle

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

noun

Meaning 5

A small inlet, often saltwater, leading to the sea or to the main channel of a river, especially a river estuary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

noun

Meaning 6

The inner part of a port that is used as a dock for small boats.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

noun

Meaning 7

A stream of water, typically a stream of freshwater smaller than a river; in Australia, also used of river-sized bodies of water.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, Canada, New-Zealand, US

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

noun

Meaning 8

Any turn or winding.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

noun

Meaning 9

One of a Native American tribe from the Southeastern United States, also known as the Muscogee.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

noun

Meaning 10

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

the creek dried up every summer

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: brook

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stream, watercourse

Narrower terms: brooklet, Bull Run, Aegospotami, Aegospotamos

noun

Meaning 11

any member of the Creek Confederacy (especially the Muskogee) formerly living in Georgia and Alabama but now chiefly in Oklahoma

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: Indian, American Indian, Red Indian

History

Etymology

* As an English surname, from Creake in Norfolk, a variant of the noun crag (“steep rugged cliff”). * Also as an English surname, from the archaic noun cratch (“crib, manger”). * As a German surname, Americanized from Krieg (“war, warfare”), Krück, Kruck (see Krug (“jug”) and Krücke (“crutch”)), Krick. * As a Dutch surname, Americanized from Kreek (from the noun kreek (“creek”), see creek) and Kriek (from kriek (“cherry”)). * The Native American tribe name is likely shortened from Ocheese Creek (the Hitchiti name for the body of water known today as the Ocmulgee River).

Blend of Craig + Tweek (an alteration of tweak).

From Middle English crike, probably from Old Norse kriki, from Proto-Germanic *krikjô, variant of krekô, from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, to wind”); the modern form creek (already late Middle English creke) either reflects open-syllable lengthening of Middle English /i/ or reborrowing from Middle Dutch krēke., Compare typologically English bight, akin to bend, bow. See also Old Dutch creka, crika (“inlet, cove, creek”), Medieval Latin creca, crica, kríkr (“angle, corner, nook, bay”), Old Norse kraki (“pole with a hook, anchor”), and possibly Old Norse krókr (“hook, bend, bight”). Modern cognates include West Frisian kreek (“creek”), Dutch kreek (“creek, cove, inlet, bight”), and French crique (“cove”) (borrowed from Germanic). Early British colonists of Australia and the Americas used the term in the usual British way, to name inlets; as settlements followed the inlets upstream and inland, the names were retained and creek came to be used to refer to any small waterway. A similar semantic development occurred in Dutch and French, where the word originally meant "bay" but came to mean "stream" especially in the French and Dutch colonies (French Guiana, Dutch Guiana and Indonesia).

Across languages

Translations

115 source translations are retained for this English entry.

Creek: Mvskoke — language
Czech: Kríkština — language
French: creek — language
Irish: Créicis — language
Russian: крикский (krikskij) — language
Russian: маскоги (maskogi) — language
Turkish: Krikçe — language
Albanian: grykë — small inlet or bay
Bulgarian: бухта (buhta) — small inlet or bay
Bulgarian: тясно заливче (tjasno zalivče) — small inlet or bay
Catalan: cala — small inlet or bay
Chinese Mandarin: 小灣 /小湾 (xiǎo wān) — small inlet or bay
Chinese Mandarin: 小湾 (xiǎowān) — small inlet or bay
Dutch: kreek — small inlet or bay
Dutch: slenk — small inlet or bay
Finnish: poukama — small inlet or bay
French: crique — small inlet or bay
West-Frisian: sleat — small inlet or bay
Galician: cala — small inlet or bay
Galician: caleiro — small inlet or bay
Galician: doca — small inlet or bay
Galician: anco — small inlet or bay
Galician: abra — small inlet or bay
Galician: angra — small inlet or bay
Galician: enseada — small inlet or bay
Galician: seo — small inlet or bay
German: Bucht — small inlet or bay
Hungarian: öböl — small inlet or bay
Italian: calanca — small inlet or bay
Italian: piccola insenatura — small inlet or bay
Limburgish: krieëk — small inlet or bay
Macedonian: за́лив (záliv) — small inlet or bay
Macedonian: за́ливче (zálivče) — small inlet or bay
Malay: serokan — small inlet or bay
Marathi: खाडी (khāḍī) — small inlet or bay
Portuguese: enseada — small inlet or bay
Russian: бу́хточка (búxtočka) — small inlet or bay
Russian: бу́хта (búxta) — small inlet or bay
Russian: зали́в (zalív) — small inlet or bay
Spanish: caleta — small inlet or bay
Swedish: vik — small inlet or bay
Ukrainian: бу́хта (búxta) — small inlet or bay
Ukrainian: зато́ка (zatóka) — small inlet or bay
Albanian: rrjedhë — stream of water
Armenian: գետակ (getak) — stream of water
Eastern Bontoc: kinnaw — stream of water
Eastern Bontoc: arog-og — stream of water
Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin: kriki — stream of water
Bulgarian: поток (potok) — stream of water
Catalan: rierol — stream of water
Catalan: riera — stream of water
Chickasaw: abookoshi — stream of water
Chinese Mandarin: 小溪 (xiǎoxī) — stream of water
Czech: potok — stream of water
Dieri: karirri — stream of water
Farefare: kʋlga class 3/4 — stream of water
Finnish: puro — stream of water
French: ruisseau — stream of water
Galician: regato — stream of water
Galician: bullón — stream of water
Galician: barbaña — stream of water
Galician: regueiro — stream of water
Galician: dioivo — stream of water
Galician: doira — stream of water
Galician: bioca — stream of water
Galician: enxurrada — stream of water
German: Bach — stream of water
Hungarian: patak — stream of water
Hungarian: csermely — stream of water
Ilocano: waig — stream of water
Italian: ruscello — stream of water
Italian: rivo — stream of water
Italian: fiumicello — stream of water
Japanese: 小川 (ogawa) — stream of water
Lubuagan Kalinga: wain — stream of water
Lubuagan Kalinga: ewagit — stream of water
Lubuagan Kalinga: suɏong — stream of water
Southern Kalinga: wail — stream of water
Macedonian: ре́кичка (rékička) — stream of water
Macedonian: по́ток (pótok) — stream of water
Malay: anak sungai — stream of water
Norwegian: bekk — stream of water
Northern Ohlone: núm̄ei' — stream of water
Ojibwe: ziibiins — stream of water
Old Church Slavonic: потокъ (potokŭ) — stream of water
Ossetian: лӕсӕн (læsæn) — stream of water
Papiamentu: roi — stream of water
Pennsylvania German: Krick — stream of water
Pennsylvania German: Grick — stream of water
Plautdietsch: Bach (nds) — stream of water
Plautdietsch: Rie — stream of water
Plautdietsch: Schelsel — stream of water
Portuguese: riacho — stream of water
Russian: руче́й (ručéj) — stream of water
Spanish: arroyo — stream of water
Spanish: riachuelo — stream of water
Sranan Tongo: kriki — stream of water
Swedish: bäck — stream of water
Tagalog: sapa — stream of water
Tagalog: ilat — stream of water
Turkish: çay — stream of water
Turkish: dere — stream of water
Ottoman Turkish: چای (çay) — stream of water
Ottoman Turkish: دره (dere) — stream of water
Ottoman Turkish: جدول (cedvel) — stream of water
Ugaritic: 𐎊𐎁𐎍𐎚 (yblt) — stream of water
Ukrainian: струмо́к (strumók) — stream of water
Vietnamese: lạch — stream of water
Yagara: pilla — stream of water
Yiddish: טײַכל (taykhl) — stream of water
Yiddish: ריטשקה (ritshke) — stream of water
Cherokee: ᎠᎫᏌ (agusa) — Native American tribesmember
German: Krik — Native American tribesmember
German: Krik-Indianer — Native American tribesmember
Unami: Màshku — Native American tribesmember

Word forms

Inflections and variants

creeks — plural
crick — alternative, Canada, US, dialectal
crike — alternative, UK, dialectal, obsolete
cryke — alternative, UK, dialectal, obsolete
crik — alternative, pronunciation-spelling
Creek — plural

Word family

Derived and related words

Derived: Acacia Creek, Albany Creek, Alice Creek, Alligator Creek, Alumy Creek, Amamoor Creek, Anna Creek, Antietam Creek, Apple Tree Creek, Archies Creek, Armstrong Creek, Arthurs Creek, Axe Creek, Babyl Creek, Back Creek, Badger Creek, Badgerys Creek, Baerami Creek, Baffle Creek, Bakers Creek, Bamboo Creek, Bandy Creek, Banks Creek, Barker Creek Flat, Barkers Creek, Barking Creek, Barretts Creek, Batar Creek, Battle Creek, Bean Creek, Bear Creek, Beavercreek, Beaver Creek, Beelbi Creek, Bees Creek, Bella Creek, Bellbird Creek, Belle Creek, Bells Creek, Berrys Creek, Beswick Creek, Big Creek, Big Jacks Creek, Big Pats Creek, Billys Creek, Bingeebeebra Creek, Black Creek, Black Duck Creek, Blackfellows Creek, Blackwood Creek, Blakney Creek, Blaxlands Creek, Bobs Creek, Boeill Creek, Bohena Creek, Bombowlee Creek, Bone Creek, Booerie Creek, Boomi Creek, Borah Creek, Boree Creek, Bostocks Creek, Bottle Creek, Boulder Creek, Bow Creek, Bowmans Creek, Boxers Creek, Brady Creek, Branch Creek, Brandy Creek, Brays Creek, Breakaway Creek, Breakfast Creek, Bream Creek, Bridge Creek, Brogans Creek, Brogers Creek, Broken Creek, Brown Hill Creek, Browns Creek, Brungle Creek, Brush Creek, Brushy Creek, Buffalo Creek, Bulla Creek, Bullawa Creek, Bull Creek, Bulli Creek, Bunya Creek, Burnett Creek, Burns Creek, Burra Creek, Burrell Creek, Butchers Creek, Byrrill Creek, Cabbage Tree Creek, Calico Creek, Callaghans Creek, Camerons Creek, Campbell Creek, Campbells Creek, Camp Creek, Canal Creek, Canning Creek, Cannon Creek, Cannons Creek, Canteen Creek, Capeen Creek, Captain Creek, Carbine Creek, Carneys Creek, Carrolls Creek, Carrs Creek, Castle Creek, Cattle Creek, Cedar Brush Creek, Cedar Creek, Chandlers Creek, Charley Creek, Chasm Creek, Cherry Creek, Chilcotts Creek, Chinghee Creek, Chinle Creek, Chowan Creek, Christmas Creek, Chum Creek, Clara Creek, Clarke Creek, Clear Creek, Clifton Creek, Clothiers Creek, Clouds Creek, Coal Creek, Cochranes Creek, Coconut Creek, Coes Creek, Coghills Creek, Coles Creek, Collett Creek, Collins Creek, Commissioners Creek, Cona Creek, Coochin Creek, Cooleys Creek, Coomalie Creek, Cooneys Creek, Cooper's Creek, Cowley Creek, Cowleys Creek, Coxs Creek, Crabbes Creek, Crayfish Creek, creekbank, creek bed, creekbed, creek boat, creeker, creekfish, creekfront, Creek Junction, creekless, creeklet, creekline, Creekmouth, creek plum, creekside, Creek View, creekward, creekwards, creekwater, creeky, Creightons Creek, Cressbrook Creek, Cripple Creek, Crooked Creek, Croppa Creek, Cross Creek, Crystal Creek, Cudgera Creek, Cudlee Creek, Culmaran Creek, Culmuran Creek, Curra Creek, Currency Creek, Daadenning Creek, Dales Creek, Dalrymple Creek, Damper Creek, Darr Creek, Darts Creek, Davis Creek, Dawson Creek, Dead Nigger Creek, Deep Creek, Deer Creek, Delaneys Creek, Denicull Creek, Devereux Creek, Devils Creek, Diamond Creek, Dignams Creek, Dirty Creek, Dixons Creek, Doctor Creek, Donald Creek, Dora Creek, Doubtful Creek, Dows Creek, Doyles Creek, Dry Creek, Duck Creek, Dumpy Creek, Duncans Creek, Duns Creek, East Creek, East Deep Creek, Eastern Creek, Eden Creek, Edith Creek, Eight Mile Creek, Elaman Creek, Emu Creek, England Creek, Etna Creek, Eulah Creek, Eungai Creek, Fall Creek, Falls Creek, Farrars Creek, Fentons Creek, Fernbank Creek, Ferny Creek, Findon Creek, Fish Creek, Fitzgerald Creek, Flaggy Creek, Flagstone Creek, Fletcher Creek, Fly Creek, Flynns Creek, Forbes Creek, Forest Creek, Forge Creek, Fortis Creek, Four Mile Creek, Frazers Creek, Frenches Creek, Freshwater Creek, Furry Creek, Fyans Creek, Gaffneys Creek, Garden Island Creek, Geegully Creek, Georges Creek, German Creek, Giants Creek, Glen Creek, Glennies Creek, Godfreys Creek, God willing and the creek don't rise, Googa Creek, Goorganga Creek, Goose Creek, Gorge Creek, Gould Creek, Gradys Creek, Grahams Creek, Green Creek, Greens Creek, Gregors Creek, Groper Creek, Gulf Creek, Gum Creek, Hail Creek, Halfway Creek, Halls Creek, Haly Creek, Hamilton Creek, Hanleys Creek, Havengore Creek, Haw Creek, Hawkins Creek, Herons Creek, Hickeys Creek, Hines Creek, Hoddles Creek, Honey Creek, Hopkins Creek, Horse Creek, Horseshoe Creek, Horse Station Creek, Hovells Creek, Howes Creek, Huon Creek, Hutton Creek, Hydes Creek, Hyndmans Creek, Icy Creek, Iguana Creek, Iron Pot Creek, Ivory Creek, Jacks Creek, Jacob Creek, James Creek, Jarra Creek, Jarvis Creek, Joyces Creek, Judds Creek, Julia Creek, Jupiter Creek, Kandanga Creek, Kangaroo Creek, Kelsey Creek, Kemps Creek, Kennaicle Creek, Kennedys Creek, Kerrs Creek, Kidaman Creek, King Creek, Kings Creek, Knapp Creek, Kobble Creek, Kunghur Creek, Laceys Creek, Laguña Creek, Laidley Creek West, Lakes Creek, Lances Creek, Langhorne Creek, Lankeys Creek, Lee Creek, Leigh Creek, Leigh Creek Station, Licking Creek, Limeburners Creek, Limestone Creek, Lindesay Creek, Little Back Creek, Little Jacks Creek, Lloyd Creek, Lonesome Creek, Lord willing and the creek don't rise, Lost Creek, Lotus Creek, Louisa Creek, Lower Acacia Creek, Lower Bottle Creek, Lower Creek, Lower Duck Creek, Lynchs Creek, Mabel Creek, Macdonalds Creek, Machine Creek, Macks Creek, Mahogany Creek, Main Creek, Majors Creek, Ma Ma Creek, Mambray Creek, Mangrove Creek, Maple Creek, Maramingo Creek, Maria Creeks, Marom Creek, Martins Creek, Marys Creek, Maules Creek, McCarrs Creek, McHarg Creek, McIntosh Creek, McKenzie Creek, McMahons Creek, Meadow Creek, Mena Creek, Menzies Creek, Merritts Creek, Mica Creek, Micket Creek, Middle Creek, Mill Creek, Miry Creek, Moggs Creek, Mogo Creek, Mole Creek, Moleville Creek, Mooney Mooney Creek, Mooral Creek, Moore Creek, Mortons Creek, Mosquito Creek, Mountain Creek, Mount Cole Creek, Mp Creek, Mulla Creek, Mullett Creek, Mullion Creek, Mullumbimby Creek, Mundic Creek, Mungay Creek, Munna Creek, Murphys Creek, Muscle Creek, Myall Creek, Myrtle Creek, Newee Creek, Nine Mile Creek, Nobbys Creek, North Deep Creek, Nowhere Creek, Nyrang Creek, Oak Creek, Oakey Creek, Oaky Creek, Oberne Creek, Old Mill Creek, Orange Creek, Otter Creek, Owens Creek, Oyster Creek, Pages Creek, Paint Creek, Palen Creek, Panther Creek, Paris Creek, Peacock Creek, Pearces Creek, Pegs Creek, Petticoat Creek, Pheasant Creek, Pie Creek, Pierces Creek, Pikes Creek, Pincher Creek, Pine Creek, Pine Creek Station, Pipe Creek, Pipers Creek, Plunketts Creek, Pola Creek, Porters Creek, Possum Creek, Pound Creek, Powers Creek, Prairie Creek, Pryor Creek, Punchs Creek, Rapid Creek, Redbank Creek, Red Creek, Reedy Creek, Reids Creek, Rendezvous Creek, Repentance Creek, Reserve Creek, Riddells Creek, Riggs Creek, Ringtail Creek, Rixs Creek, Roche Creek, Rock Creek, Rocky Creek, Rodgers Creek, Roseberry Creek, Ross Creek, Rowlands Creek, Ruby Creek, run like a dry creek, Running Creek, Rush Creek, Rushes Creek, Salt Creek, Sandy Creek, Sawpit Creek, Scott Creek, Scotts Creek, Scrubby Creek, Scrub Creek, Separation Creek, Shady Creek, Shark Creek, Sharps Creek, Sheans Creek, Sheep Station Creek, Silver Creek, Simpkins Creek, Simpsons Creek, Sisters Creek, Skenes Creek, Skenes Creek North, Slacks Creek, Slaty Creek, Smiths Creek, Smythes Creek, Soda Creek, Soochow Creek, Sorell Creek, Spargo Creek, Spicers Creek, Spicketts Creek, Splinter Creek, Splitters Creek, Split Yard Creek, Spring Creek, Steels Creek, Stewart Creek Valley, Stockyard Creek, Stony Creek, Stotts Creek, Stow Creek, Strath Creek, Stuarts Creek, Sturt Creek, subcreek, Sugarloaf Creek, Sulphur Creek, Summer Hill Creek, Sunday Creek, Sutherlands Creek, Suzhou Creek, Swan Creek, Sweetmans Creek, Swifts Creek, Tabbil Creek, Tamrookum Creek, Tennant Creek, Terania Creek, Terrace Creek, Thanes Creek, Theresa Creek, Thumb Creek, Tilligerry Creek, Timber Creek, Titaatee Creek, Toms Creek, Tonghi Creek, Torrens Creek, Tothill Creek, Trotter Creek, Trunkey Creek, Tuntable Creek, Turkey Creek, Turtons Creek, Twelve Mile Creek, Tyalgum Creek, up a creek, up a creek without a paddle, upcreek, Upper Coopers Creek, Upper Cooyar Creek, Upper Crystal Creek, Upper Duck Creek, Upper Eden Creek, Upper Horseshoe Creek, Upper Ryans Creek, Upper Wilsons Creek, up poo creek, Upsalls Creek, up shit creek, up shit creek without a paddle, up shit's creek, up shit's creek without a paddle, up the creek, up the creek without a paddle, Utchee Creek, Valencia Creek, Vance Creek, Verges Creek, Wallaces Creek, Warragai Creek, Warrah Creek, Warrazambil Creek, Warrell Creek, Wascana Creek, Watsons Creek, Wattle Creek, Webbers Creek, Webbs Creek, Welcome Creek, Werris Creek, West Creek, Western Creek, Weston Creek, Wheeny Creek, Whim Creek, Whiska Creek, Whiteheads Creek, Whiteman Creek, Wild Cattle Creek, William Creek, Willow Creek, Wilson Creek, Wilsons Creek, Wise Creek, Wisemans Creek, Wolli Creek, Wombat Creek, Wongo Creek, Wood Creek, Woody Creek, Woopen Creek, Wrights Creek, Wylie Creek, Wyong Creek, Yandina Creek, Yandoo Creek, Yankees Creek, Yarra Creek, Yaven Creek, Yerong Creek, Yippin Creek, Creek County

Related: none provided

Spelling and sound

Hyphenation and homophones

Homophones: creak, crick

Language history

Descendants

Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin: kriki
Sranan Tongo: kriki

Semantic map

Other relationships

Hypernyms: stream, watercourse, Indian, American Indian, Red Indian

Hyponyms: brooklet, Bull Run, Aegospotami, Aegospotamos

Sources

Where this information comes from

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Real reading context

Examples

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creek in complete knowledge articles