crag

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈkrag 

1

: a steep rugged rock or cliff

2

archaic : a sharp detached fragment of rock

cragged

ˈkra-gəd 

adjective

crag

2 of 2

noun (2)

chiefly Scotland

: neck, throat

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• barranca
• barranco
• bluff
• cliff
• escarpment
• palisade
• precipice
• scar
• scarp

Examples of crag in a Sentence

Noun (1)

a menacing crag overhangs the hiking trail

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While these crags are not the most challenging climbs, their proximity to the city is unique, which explains how outfitters like Klättermusen have flourished. —Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 26 Jan. 2025

One of the best places to see puffins is the Isle of Staffa, an uninhabited volcanic crag rising from the gray seas off the Isle of Mull. —Emily Matchar, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Jan. 2025

Mountaineering The greater Stockholm area is an urban rock climber’s playground, with granite crags everywhere — including Kanalklippan, a blasted rock face along the Danvik canal in the city center. —Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 26 Jan. 2025

All those records and tapes and spools and switches and knobs feel as much part of the landscape as the thistles, the moss, the crags, the forests. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh craig rock

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Middle Dutch crāghe; akin to Old English cræga throat — more at craw

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

crag

noun

ˈkrag

: a steep rugged rock or cliff

craggy

ˈkrag-ē

adjective