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neck

Syllabification: (neck)
Pronunciation: /nek/
Translate neck | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of neck

noun

  • 1the part of a person’s or animal’s body connecting the head to the rest of the body:she is wearing a silk scarf around her neck [as modifier]:the neck muscles
  • the part of a shirt, dress, or other garment that is around or close to the neck:her dress had three buttons at the neck undone a polo neck
  • meat from an animal’s neck:neck of lamb made an excellent stew
  • a person’s neck regarded as bearing a burden of responsibility or guilt for something:he’ll be stuck with a loan around his neck
  • 2a narrow part of something, resembling a neck in shape or position.
  • the part of a bottle or other container near the mouth.
  • a narrow piece of terrain or sea, such as an isthmus, channel, or pass.
  • Anatomy a narrow part near one end of an organ such as the uterus.
  • the part of a violin, guitar, or other similar instrument that bears the fingerboard.
  • Architectureanother term for necking.
  • (often volcanic neck) Geology a column of solidified lava or igneous rock formed in a volcanic vent, especially when exposed by erosion.
  • Botany a narrow supporting part in a plant, especially the terminal part of the fruiting body in a fern, bryophyte, or fungus.
  • 3the length of a horse’s head and neck as a measure of its lead in a race:the colt won the 122nd running of the Midsummer Derby by a neck

verb

  • 1 [no object] informal (of two people) kiss and caress amorously:we started necking on the sofa
  • 2 [no object] form a narrowed part at a particular point when subjected to tension:the nylon filament necks down to a fraction of its original diameter
  • 3 [with object] British informal swallow (something, especially a drink):after necking some beers, we left the bar

Phrases

break one's neck

  • 1dislocate or seriously damage a vertebra or the spinal cord in one’s neck.
  • 2 (break one's neck to do something) informal exert oneself to the utmost to achieve something.

get (or catch) it in the neck

informal be severely criticized or punished.

neck and neck

even in a race, competition, or comparison:we have six contestants who are neck and neck

neck of the woods

informal a particular area or locality:imagine seeing her in this neck of the woods

save someone's neck

see save1.

up to one's neck in

informal heavily burdened by or busily involved in:they were up to their necks in debt I’m up to my neck in rearranging the tournament

Derivatives

necked

adjective
[in combination]:an open-necked shirt

necker

noun

neckless

adjective

Origin:

Old English hnecca 'back of the neck', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch nek 'neck' and German Nacken 'nape'

neck in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of neck in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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