crib

1 of 2

noun

ˈkrib 

plural cribs

1

: a manger for feeding animals

2

: an enclosure especially of framework: such as

a

: a stall for a stabled animal

b

: a small child's bedstead with high enclosing usually slatted sides

c

: any of various devices resembling a crate or framework in structure

d

: a building for storage : bin

3

a

: a small narrow room or dwelling : hut, shack

b

chiefly African American English slang : home sense 1a

I just wasn't in school. I was at the crib, chilling …

—unidentified speaker, quoted in Corpus of Regional African American Language

c

: a room or shack used for sex work

4

: the cards discarded in cribbage for the dealer to use in scoring

5

a

: a small theft

b

: plagiarism

c

: a literal translation

especially : pony sense 3

d

: a summary and key to understanding a literary work

e

: something used for cheating in an examination

6

: crèche sense 1

crib

2 of 2

verb

cribbed; cribbing

transitive verb

1

: confine, cramp

2

: to provide with or put into a crib

especially : to line or support with a framework of timber

3

: pilfer, steal

especially : plagiarize

intransitive verb

1

a

: steal, plagiarize

b

: to use a crib : cheat

2

: to have the vice of cribbing

cribber noun

Examples of crib in a Sentence

Verb

She cribbed a line or two from her favorite poet.

students cribbing off each other's papers

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The eras of parenthood and childhood are also woven into the collection, like the transition from crib to bed. —Lauren Bengtson, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Sep. 2024

Keep your baby’s crib far enough away from this curtain so they aren’t tempted to try pulling it down. —Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 10 Sep. 2024

Verb

But both the slogan and her platform seemed as though they had been cribbed off a consultant’s PowerPoint presentation for some other candidate, one who could actually sell populism. —Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 26 July 2024

The state of the influencer and content creator industry has also changed since Tokyo, and athletes have cribbed some of the formats and styles TikTok views are used to. —Mia Sato, The Verge, 1 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English cribb; akin to Old High German krippa manger, and perhaps to Greek griphos reed basket

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1605, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing crib

• crib biting
• crib death
• crib sheet

Kids Definition

crib

1 of 2 noun

ˈkrib 

1

: a manger for feeding animals

2

: a small bed frame with high sides for a child

3

: a bin or building for storing grain

4

: the cards discarded in cribbage for the dealer to use in scoring

5

a

: pony sense 2

b

: something used for cheating on a test

crib

2 of 2 verb

cribbed; cribbing

1

: to copy (as an idea or piece of writing) and use as one's own : plagiarize

2

: to use a translation or notes dishonestly

cribber noun

Medical Definition

crib

noun

ˈkrib 

1

: a manger for feeding animals

2

a

: a stall for a stabled animal

b

: a small child's bedstead with high enclosing usually slatted sides