noun
creek
A narrow inlet affected by the tide.
The creek fills with seawater as the tide rises each afternoon.
Etymology
Middle English creke named a narrow inlet or recess of water. The tidal-inlet sense preserves that coastal opening, while other uses later extended the word to small streams.
More examples
- At low tide, mud banks line the creek.
- We paddle into a sheltered creek along the coast.
- Narrow creeks carry tidal water deep into the salt marsh.
Forms
creek · creeks