TOP

Definition of crutch noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

crutch

noun
 
/krʌtʃ/
 
/krʌtʃ/
jump to other results
  1. one of two long sticks that you put under your arms to help you walk after you have injured your leg or foot
    • After the accident I spent six months on crutches.
    • She can only walk with crutches.
    Topics Healthcarec1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • emotional
    • psychological
    verb + crutch
    • need
    • use
    • use something as
    preposition
    • on crutch
    • with crutch
    See full entry
  2. (usually disapproving) a person or thing that gives you help or support but often makes you depend on them too much
    • High interest rates are merely a crutch for the country’s ailing economy.
    • He sees religion as an emotional crutch.
    • She uses her work as a psychological crutch.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • emotional
    • psychological
    verb + crutch
    • need
    • use
    • use something as
    preposition
    • on crutch
    • with crutch
    See full entry
  3. (also crotch)
    the part of the body where the legs join at the top, including the area around the genitals
  4. (also crotch)
    the part of a pair of trousers, etc. that covers the crotch
  5. Word OriginOld English crycc, cryc, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch kruk and German Krücke.
See crutch in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

Other results

All matches
trait
noun
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 5000
B2
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day