Word
crib
US/ˈkɹɪb/
UK/kɹˈɪb/
Countable noun
Definition
n. a small bed for a baby. You use this word when talking about where a young child sleeps.
n. a small bed designed for an infant or young child.
Examples
“The baby sleeps in her crib.”
“We bought a wooden crib with white sheets for the nursery.”
“The antique crib, carved from dark oak, stood in the corner of the room like a silent guardian of childhood memories.”
Examples
simple
“The baby sleeps in her crib.”
contextual
“We bought a wooden crib with white sheets for the nursery.”
complex
“The antique crib, carved from dark oak, stood in the corner of the room like a silent guardian of childhood memories.”
Etymology
From Middle English crib, cribbe, from Old English crib, cryb, cribb, crybb (“couch, bed; manger, stall”), from Proto-West Germanic kribbjā, from Proto-Germanic kribjǭ (“crib, wickerwork”), from Proto-Indo-European grebʰ-, gerbʰ- (“bunch, bundle, tuft, clump”), from *ger- (“to turn, twist”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Kräbbe, Krääb, Krääf (“crib”), West Frisian krêbe (“crib”), Dutch krib (“crib, manger”), German Krippe (“rack, crib”), Danish krybbe (“crib”), Icelandic krubba (“crib”). Doublet of crèche. The sense of ‘stealing, taking notes, plagiarize’ seems to have developed out of the verb. The criminal sense may derive from the 'basket' sense, circa the mid 18th century, in that a poacher could conceal poachings in such a basket (see the 1772 Samuel Foote quotation). The cheating sense probably derives from the criminal sense.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B1 PreliminaryIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.4.0–5.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 3.0–3.544–71TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.550–784
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B1 · Intermediate
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/crib