# rick

/ˈɹɪk/ (US) · /ɹˈɪk/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/rick
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. a stack of hay or straw

noun · CEFR C1 · General-service

a large, neat pile of hay, straw, or wood kept outside, often covered to protect it from rain.

For teachers: a large, usually outdoor stack of hay, corn, or straw, often thatched for protection against the elements.

- The farmer spent the afternoon building a large rick of hay in the field.
- Traditional farming methods involved building a rick with such precision that the outer layers naturally shed rainwater away from the core fodder.

### 2. a minor strain or sprain

noun · CEFR B2 · British English · Informal

a slight injury caused by twisting a part of your body, like your neck or back.

For teachers: a slight sprain or strain, typically affecting the neck, back, or ankle.

- I woke up with a painful rick in my neck from sleeping in a strange position.
- He suffered a minor rick in his lower back while attempting to lift the heavy crate without proper form.

### 3. a new soldier

noun · CEFR C2 · Slang · American English

a slang term for a new person who has just started basic military training.

For teachers: a derogatory or informal term for a new and naive boot camp inductee.

- The drill sergeant spent the whole morning shouting at the new ricks.
- The seasoned corporals watched with amusement as the ricks struggled to keep their gear organized during the first week of basic training.

### 4. to strain a muscle

verb · CEFR B2 · British English · Informal

to twist or pull a muscle slightly, usually in your neck or back.

For teachers: to slightly sprain or wrench a joint or muscle, particularly in the neck or back.

- Be careful not to rick your back when you lift those heavy boxes.
- She managed to rick her ankle while jogging on the uneven pavement, forcing her to rest for several days.

### 5. to stack hay

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to pile hay or straw into large, neat stacks.

For teachers: to heap up hay, straw, or wood into ricks for storage.

- They worked until sunset to rick the last of the season's harvest.
- The laborers were hired specifically to rick the timber into uniform piles for measurement and eventual sale.

## Examples

- The farmer spent the afternoon building a large rick of hay.
- After the harvest, the fields were dotted with ricks of straw waiting to be moved to the barn for winter storage.
- The traditional method of constructing a rick requires careful layering to ensure that moisture does not penetrate the core and cause the internal vegetation to rot before it can be used.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.