noun · verb · 13 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.
/ˈkɹʌt͡ʃ/
[ˈkhɹwʌ̹t͡ʃ]
[ˈkhɹwʌ̈t͡ʃ]
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -ʌtʃ
CMU ARPABET:K R AH1 CH
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A device to assist in motion as a cane, especially one that provides support under the arm to reduce weight on a leg.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
He walked on crutches for a month until the cast was removed from his leg.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Something or someone that supports, often used negatively to indicate that it is not needed and causes an unhealthful dependency; a prop
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
Alcohol became a crutch to help him through the long nights; eventually it killed him.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
A crotch; the area of body where the legs fork from the trunk.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A form of pommel for a woman's saddle, consisting of a forked rest to hold the leg of the rider.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
A knee, or piece of knee timber.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
6
noun
Meaning 6
A forked stanchion or post; a crotch.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
7
noun
Meaning 7
An improvised device, usually made from a piece of cardboard, to hold the last end of a joint.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: slang
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
8
verb
Meaning 8
To support on crutches; to prop up.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
verb
Meaning 9
To move on crutches.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
10
verb
Meaning 10
To shear the hindquarters of a sheep; to dag.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
11
verb
Meaning 11
to stir with a crutch.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
12
noun
Meaning 12
anything that serves as an expedient
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he uses drugs as a psychological crutch
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: expedient
13
noun
Meaning 13
a wooden or metal staff that fits under the armpit and reaches to the ground; used by disabled person while walking
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: staff
History
Etymology
From Middle English crucche, from Old English cryċċ (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-West Germanic *krukkju, from Proto-Germanic *krukjō (“crutch, staff”), from Proto-Indo-European *grewg- (“wrinkle, bend”), from Proto-Indo-European *ger- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate with Scots curche, crutch (“crutch, stilts”), Dutch kruk (“crutch”), Low German krukke, Krück (“crutch”), German Krücke (“crutch”), Swedish krycka (“crutch”). Latin crucia, crucca, croccia, crocia (“crutch”), and its descendants are ultimately from the Germanic.
Across languages
Translations
133 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Albanian:
shtrat
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Arabic:
عُكَّاز
(ʕukkāz)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Arabic:
عُكَّازَة
(ʕukkāza)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Arabic:
عكازة
(ʕukkāza)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Armenian:
անթացուպ
(antʻacʻup)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Azerbaijani:
qoltuqağacı
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Basque:
makulu
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Belarusian:
мы́ліца
(mýlica)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Belarusian:
касты́ль
(kastýlʹ)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Belarusian:
ку́ля
(kúlja)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Breton:
flac'h
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Breton:
bazh-loaek
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Bulgarian:
па́терица
(páterica)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Burmese:
ချိုင်းထောက်
(hkyuing:htauk)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Catalan:
crossa
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Chinese Cantonese:
拐杖
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Chinese Cantonese:
拐子
(gwaai2 zi2)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Chinese Mandarin:
拐杖
(guǎizhàng)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Chinese Mandarin:
拐子
(guǎizi)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Chinese Mandarin:
腋杖
(yèzhàng)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Czech:
berle
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Danish:
krykke
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Dutch:
kruk
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Esperanto:
lambastono
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Estonian:
kark
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Faroese:
høkja
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Finnish:
kainalosauva
— device to assist in motion as a cane
French:
béquille
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Galician:
caxata
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Georgian:
ყავარჯენი
(q̇avarǯeni)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
German:
Krücke
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Greek:
δεκανίκι
(dekaníki)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Greek:
πατερίτσα
(paterítsa)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Hebrew:
קַב
(káv)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Hebrew:
קביים \ קַבַּיִם
(kabáyim)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Hindi:
बैसाखी
(baisākhī)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Hungarian:
mankó
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Icelandic:
hækja
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Indonesian:
kruk
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Irish:
bata croise
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Irish:
maide croise
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Irish:
croisín
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Italian:
stampella
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Italian:
gruccia
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Japanese:
松葉杖
(matsubazue)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Kalmyk:
түшүр
(tüşür)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Kazakh:
балдақ
(baldaq)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Khmer:
ច្រត់
(crɑt)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Khmer:
ឈើច្រត់
(chəə crɑt)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Korean:
목다리
(mokdari)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Korean:
목발
(mokbal)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Central Kurdish:
گۆچان
(goçan)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Kyrgyz:
балдак
(baldak)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Latvian:
kruķis
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Lithuanian:
ramentas
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Lombard:
cròça
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Lombard:
cròçola
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Lombard:
stampella
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Luxembourgish:
Krätsch
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Macedonian:
патерица
(paterica)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Māori:
turupou
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Māori:
tokowae
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Māori:
tokotoko
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Māori:
tiripou
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Middle English:
crucche
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Middle English:
potent
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Mongolian:
таяг
(tajag)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Mongolian:
суга таяг
(suga tajag)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Navajo:
tsin bee naʼadáhí
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Neapolitan:
stanfella
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Norwegian Bokmål:
krykke
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Norwegian Nynorsk:
krykke
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Norwegian Nynorsk:
krykkje
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Old English:
cryċċ
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Old Norse:
hœkja
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Persian:
عصا
('asâ)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Plautdietsch:
Kjrekj
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Polish:
kula
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Portuguese:
muleta
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Portuguese:
canadiana
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Romanian:
cârjă
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Russian:
косты́ль
(kostýlʹ)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Serbo-Croatian:
шта̏ка
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Serbo-Croatian:
štȁka
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Slovak:
barla
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Slovene:
bergla
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Spanish:
muleta
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Swedish:
krycka
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Tagalog:
saklay
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Tagalog:
muleta
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Tajik:
асо
(aso)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Tajik:
таёқ
(tayoq)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Thai:
ไม้เท้า
(mái-táao)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Thai:
ไม้ยัน
(máai-yan)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Thai:
ไม้ยันรักแร้
(máai-yan-rák-rɛ́ɛ)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Tocharian B:
ṣpikiye
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Turkish:
koltuk değneği
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Ottoman Turkish:
قولتق دگنكی
(koltuk değeneği)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Turkmen:
pişek
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Ukrainian:
ми́лиця
(mýlycja)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Ukrainian:
ко́стур
(kóstur)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Ukrainian:
костуря́ка
(kosturjáka)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Ukrainian:
ку́ля
(kúlja)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Ukrainian:
кости́ль
(kostýlʹ)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Urdu:
بیساکھی
(baisākhī)
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Uzbek:
qoʻltiq
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Uzbek:
tayoq
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Uzbek:
xassa
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Vietnamese:
nạng
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Welsh:
bagl
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Welsh:
ffon fagl
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Zhuang:
dwngx
— device to assist in motion as a cane
Bulgarian:
опо́ра
(opóra)
— something that supports
Bulgarian:
подста́вка
(podstávka)
— something that supports
Finnish:
tuki
— something that supports
French:
soutien
— something that supports
French:
support
— something that supports
Galician:
borne
— something that supports
Galician:
esteo
— something that supports
Galician:
abeanco
— something that supports
German:
Stütze
— something that supports
German:
Krücke
— something that supports
Icelandic:
stoð
— something that supports
Icelandic:
styrkur
— something that supports
Italian:
stampella
— something that supports
Latin:
adminiculum
— something that supports
Lombard:
stampella
— something that supports
Lombard:
supòrt
— something that supports
Slovene:
bergla
— something that supports
Spanish:
apoyo
— something that supports
Spanish:
soporte
— something that supports
Spanish:
muleta
— something that supports
Serbo-Croatian:
flop
— a piece of cardboard that supports a joint