cricketer

IPA/ˈkrɪkɪtə(r)/
IPA/ˈkrɪkɪtər/

cricketer — noun

  • cricketersingular
  • cricketersplural

1. a person who takes part in the sport of cricket, either as a paid professional o

1.nounB1
Definition

a person who takes part in the sport of cricket, either as a paid professional or as an amateur player for a club or school team.

Example

Leila has been a dedicated cricketer since she joined the local club at age ten.

present perfect + since-clause for duration

The young cricketer scored the winning runs in the final over.

noun phrase as subject in simple past narrative

Common collocations
  • professional cricketer
  • international cricketer
  • county cricketer
  • young cricketer
  • retired cricketer
Synonyms
  • player

    a more general term for anyone taking part in any sport or game; less specific than 'cricketer'

  • sportsperson

    a broader, more formal term that covers participants in any sport, not just cricket

  • athlete

    emphasises physical fitness and training; more common in American English, whereas 'cricketer' is used mainly in British English and Commonwealth countries

Grammar Patterns

cricketer + verb

adjective + cricketer

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While all three words describe someone involved in sport, 'cricketer' is the only one that refers specifically to the game of cricket. 'Player' is the broadest term — anyone in any sport or game is a player, from chess to football. 'Sportsperson' is more formal and inclusive of all sports, but it is less common in everyday conversation. 'Athlete' focuses on physical strength and training; in American English it is the default term for any sports competitor, while British and Commonwealth speakers reserve 'athlete' mostly for track-and-field events and use 'cricketer' or 'footballer' for specific sports. For example, a newspaper might call someone 'a talented young athlete' in a general fitness article, but match reports will always say 'the cricketer scored a century.'

player ↗sportsperson ↗athlete ↗

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle DutchEnglish

Derived from 'cricket', the name of the sport, plus the suffix '-er' which means 'a person who does something'. The origin of the word 'cricket' itself is uncertain — it may come from the Old French word 'criquet' meaning a stick or goal post, or from the Middle Dutch 'crick(e)' meaning a stick. The first known use of 'cricketer' in English dates back to the early 1700s, around the same time the modern rules of the sport were being developed in England.