Standard Lemma guide

crutch

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