crate
crate
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for crate is kreɪt.
Phonetic Breakdown
The word crate has one syllable.
Syllable 1: kreɪt
Onset: kr (a consonant cluster: /k/ as in "cat" and /r/ as in "rat")
Nucleus: eɪ (a diphthong, the vowel sound in "ace")
Coda: t (a single consonant: /t/ as in "top")
Word Form Variations
The common word form variations for crate are:
Singular Noun: crate
Plural Noun: crates
Present Tense Verb (Base Form): crate (or to crate)
Present Tense Verb (Third-Person Singular): crates
Present Participle / Gerund: crating
Past Tense / Past Participle Verb: crated
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun 📦
Definition: A large, sturdy container, typically made of wooden slats, plastic, or wire mesh, used for packing, storing, or transporting goods.
Synonyms: box, case, container, packing case
Antonyms: (Direct antonyms are difficult, as "crate" describes a specific container; related concepts could be contents, cargo, or unpacking.)
Verb 🛠️
Definition 1: To pack, confine, or enclose something, often a large item or an animal, within a crate for transport, storage, or temporary restriction.
Synonyms: box up, package, cage, confine, encase
Antonyms: uncrate, unpackage, release, unbox
Definition 2 (Informal/Slang, often as "crating"): To fail or crash, especially in a destructive or noticeable way (less common).
Synonyms: crash, wreck, fail, smash
Antonyms: succeed, triumph, repair
Examples of Use
Literature and Publishing
"He began to pry the lid off the crate of books, the smell of old paper and dust filling the air." (Use as a singular noun, describing a container.)
The shipping manifest listed one hundred crates of vintage port wine bound for London. (Use as a plural noun, referring to multiple containers.)
News and Journalism
A local news report on wildlife rescue stated: "Volunteers had to carefully crate the injured bald eagle before transporting it to the rehabilitation center." (Use as a verb, meaning to put into a container.)
"Authorities seized several large, unmarked crates at the port believed to contain smuggled artifacts." (Source: The Guardian, May 2023)
Online Publications and E-commerce
An article on pet ownership advises: "When introducing a new puppy, make sure to find a durable crate that serves as a safe, den-like space for house training." (Use as a singular noun, specifically for a pet carrier.)
"Our furniture is delivered flat-packed, but the assembly is simple; just make sure to keep the original wooden crate for returns." (Source: IKEA product manual, July 2024)
Entertainment and Media
Film/Television: A character in an action movie might be heard saying, "Get behind those heavy crates for cover!" during a shootout in a warehouse scene. (Use as a plural noun, for stage props/cover.)
Video Games: In games like Fortnite or PUBG, players often search for "supply crates" or "loot crates" to find weapons, gear, or power-ups. (Use as a plural noun, referring to virtual containers holding items.)
General Public Discourse and Trades
Shipping/Logistics: A warehouse worker might say, "We need to get this fragile equipment properly crated before the truck arrives for pickup." (Use as a past participle verb/adjective, meaning packed in a crate.)
Retail: "Could you grab the empty milk crates from the back so we can send them out for restocking?" (Use as a plural noun, referring to standard plastic containers for beverage transport.)
10 Famous Quotes Using Crate
"I loved sports, but I excelled at basketball; we'd nail an old crate onto a wooden board and that was our basket and backboard." (Dawn Staley)
"I empty the crate. I have the novelists Michel Tournier for daydreaming, Michel Déon for melancholy, D. H. Lawrence for sensuality and Yukio Mishima for steely coldness." (Sylvain Tesson, Consolations of the Forest)
"Give me morphine in a tin, give me a crate of the fruit of the vine, takes a lot of medicine to make it through the wintertime." (Anaïs Mitchell, "Way Down Hadestown" from Hadestown)
"If a crackhead comes through and he's got a crate of Corn Flakes boxes he's stolen out of the back of a supermarket, the poor mom isn't thinking, I'm aiding and abetting a criminal by buying these Corn Flakes." (1Trevor Noah, Born a Crime)
"And the derricks clack and grate, as the tackle hooks the crate, and the engines snort and shout, for the merchandise is out." (Rudyard Kipling, "L'Envoi")
"It's going to be like sitting on a tea crate, having chicken shit sprayed all over me." (Armando Iannucci, The Thick of It)
"But then he was captured, stuffed into a crate." (Dana Lyons, "Cows With Guns")
"Nobody in the world is safe when we melt down the wax in your record crate." (Linkin Park, "Step Up/Nobodys Listening/Its Goin Down (Live)")
"Returning from its first public exhibition in a shipping crate, the glass suffered a large crack." (Referring to The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even by Marcel Duchamp)
"Plato, they say, could stick it away, half a crate of whiskey every day, when Aristotle, a hell of a man, ever so gently would guzzle his can." (Monty Python, "Immanuel Kant")
Etymology
The word crate has a straightforward history rooted in the idea of a woven basket or container.
Here is an explanation of its etymology:
The English word crate comes from the Middle Low German word, kratte, which meant "a basket" or "a wicker-basket." Middle Low German was spoken in northern Germany during the medieval period and was a major language of trade (the Hanseatic League), which helps explain how the term made its way into English.
Key Points:
Origin: It is derived from the Middle Low German kratte ("basket").
First Known Use (and Meaning): The word entered English sometime in the 15th century (the 1400s). At that time, the word crate referred to a wicker-basket or a woven, flimsy basket—specifically one used for carrying fragile things like glass or pottery.
Evolution of Meaning: Over time, the meaning shifted from a simple woven basket to the much sturdier, slatted wooden box we commonly think of today, used for heavy-duty shipping and storage. The essential idea of a large container for transport remains the same, but the material and robustness changed.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Crate
To get crated: (Less common/Slang) To be confined or put into a crate, often humorously or related to a pet's training.
Crate-digging: (Music/Culture) The act of sifting through stacks or crates of old vinyl records in used music shops to find rare samples or forgotten albums.
To be crated up: To be packed securely in a crate and ready for shipment.
Loot Crate: (Gaming/Marketing) A commercially popular term for a themed box or crate containing a surprise assortment of merchandise, often purchased by subscription.
Crate engine: (Automotive) A brand-new engine assembly, complete and ready to install, that is purchased and shipped in a protective crate.
Thinking outside the box/crate: (Idiom using a synonym, "box") To think creatively, unconventionally, or from a new perspective.
To be in the same boat/box: (Idiom using a synonym, "box") To be in the same difficult or unpleasant situation as others.
Record crate: A physical storage box, often wooden or plastic, used specifically for organizing and transporting vinyl records.
Milk crate challenge: (Informal/Media) A viral internet trend involving stacking and attempting to climb a precarious pyramid of plastic milk crates.
A whole crate of trouble: (Original/Descriptive) An exaggerated expression meaning a large or overwhelming amount of difficulty, akin to "a truckload of problems."
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of crate from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
