What does cricked mean?
Cricked is the past tense and past participle of the verb crick, meaning to wrench or strain a muscle so suddenly that it causes sharp pain and temporary stiffness. It is used almost exclusively with parts of the body — most commonly the neck and sometimes the back — as in she cricked her neck looking over her shoulder, or he cricked his back lifting the box. The word belongs to informal everyday English on both sides of the Atlantic and describes a familiar minor injury rather than a serious medical condition: the discomfort typically eases within hours or days. Its close relative, the noun crick (as in a crick in my neck), is especially common in American usage, while the verb form is widespread everywhere English is spoken. Cricked captures an experience so universal that it earned its own dedicated word, which makes it both practical and charmingly precise.
verbPast tense and past participle of "crick": to wrench or strain (a muscle, especially in the neck or back), causing sudden sharp pain and stiffness.
- To wrench or strain a muscle, especially in the neck or back, producing sudden stiffness or sharp pain (past tense and past participle of "crick").
"She cricked her neck turning to look at the board behind her."
"He cricked his neck sleeping in an awkward position on the train."
"Bent over the laptop for hours, she had cricked her back by evening."
That stabbing pain when you turn your head too fast has its own verb: you didn't just hurt your neck — you cricked it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cricked
The verb crick first appears in English in the early modern period, likely the seventeenth century, though its ultimate origin is uncertain; it may be related to or influenced by Middle Dutch or Low German terms for a sudden twist or kink, and it may originally have been imitative of the sound or sensation of a joint giving way. It is unrelated to cricket, the game or the insect. The noun form describing a painful stiffness, especially in American English, developed from the same source.
Related word forms
How cricked is actually used
Informal to neutral register, common in everyday British and American speech. Used almost exclusively with body parts as the object — most often the neck or back. The base form "crick" also exists as a noun ("a crick in one's neck"), chiefly American.
Easily confused with cricked
"Cricked" means having strained a muscle, while a cricket is either an insect or the bat-and-ball sport.
"Clicked" means made a short sharp sound or pressed a button; "cricked" means wrenched a muscle such as the neck.