leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together
"The cricket began to chirp loudly on the porch as summer night fell."
a game played with a ball and bat by two teams of 11 players; teams take turns trying to score runs
"The crowd cheered loudly as our team finally broke the tie in the final over of the cricket match."
An insect in the order Orthoptera, especially family Gryllidae, that makes a chirping sound by rubbing its wing casings against combs on its hind legs.
"He pulled up a small cricket to rest his feet while watching the game on TV."
A game played outdoors with bats and a ball between two teams of eleven, popular in England and many Commonwealth countries.
A wooden footstool.
In plain English: Cricket is a popular bat-and-ball game where two teams take turns hitting and fielding to score runs.
"We sat on the porch and listened to the cricket chirping all night."
Usage: Use the word cricket when referring to a small, three-legged wooden stool used for resting your feet while sitting in a chair. Do not use it to describe the insect or the sport unless specifically clarifying those distinct meanings.
play cricket
"The neighborhood kids spent their entire summer playing cricket in the dusty backyard."
To play the game of cricket.
"The local team will kick off their match to play a cricket against the visiting squad tomorrow afternoon."
In plain English: To play cricket is to hit a ball with a bat and run around bases to score points.
"The team will not play cricket this year due to the lack of players."
Usage: Use the verb "cricket" to mean playing the sport of cricket, though it is rarely used in modern speech and most people simply say "play cricket." This usage is formal and uncommon compared to using the noun as a verb without repeating the word itself.
The word cricket comes from the Old French term for a small object that makes a cracking sound, which was borrowed into Middle English around 1300. Its original meaning referred to the insect's chirping noise before it came to name the game played with a bat and ball.