1
a(1)
: the part of an animal that connects the head with the body
(2)
: the siphon of a bivalve mollusk (such as a clam)
b
: the part of a garment that covers or is next to the neck
2
: a relatively narrow part suggestive of a neck: such as
a(1)
: the constricted end of a bottle
(2)
: the slender proximal end of a fruit
b
c
: the part of a stringed musical instrument extending from the body and supporting the fingerboard and strings
d
: a narrow stretch of land
f
: the part of a tooth between the crown and the root see tooth illustration
g
: a column of solidified magma of a volcanic pipe or laccolith
3
: a narrow margin
won by a neck
necked; necking; necks
Examples of neck in a Sentence
Noun
She craned her neck to see what was going on.
A giraffe is an animal with a very long neck.
He broke his neck in the accident.
He likes T-shirts with round necks.
He grabbed the neck of the bottle.
Verb
The young lovers necked on the park bench.
They were necking in the corner of the room.
Recent Examples on the Web
CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
Bush Hager asks as Hal shakes his head and buries his face in his mom’s neck.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Aaron was on the ground after being tackled by another officer and was completely unarmed when Officer George fired the lethal final bullet in Aaron’s neck.
—Tom Jackman, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Will others follow suit? Clark and Aziz both wore hijabs in line with their Muslim faith, which covers a woman’s hair, ears and neck, but leaves her face exposed.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Place it around your neck and bring the ends to the front.
—Jana Ackermann, Glamour, 5 Apr. 2024
Top model Christy Turlington opened the show, dressed in a black caftan decorated with a target print on the neck, a motif that alternates with a swan, key, marble and fish prints that cover the bomber jackets, scarf dresses and skirts, plus asymmetrical tops and palazzo trousers.
—Pino Gagliardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Matt Mitchell injured Former Aztec Matt Mitchell took a nasty fall last weekend with Turkish club Besiktas in the EuroCup semifinals, jumping to block a shot, then flipping over the shoulder of an opposing player and landing on his head and neck.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024
These symptoms can include neck stiffness, mood changes, and constipation.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 7 June 2023
The 7mm-08 is just the 308 Win. necked down.
—Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2023
Made of flexible raffia, J.Crew’s best-selling wide-brim hat nails the classic, semi-floppy sun hat look while being totally functional, too — the brim gave my face and neck full sun coverage.
—Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2023
Fonda, Tomlin, Field and Moreno chatted about everything from the aging process to neck problems to sports stats after the screening.
—Malina Saval, Variety, 7 Jan. 2023
Non-electric scalp massagers can be used when applying shampoo or conditioner, while electronic models are typically used outside of the shower, and can often be used on your feet or neck too.
—Kathleen Willcox, Popular Mechanics, 14 Dec. 2022
The rookie fifth-round pick played 40 defensive snaps in his NFL debut despite having missed the entire spring, training camp and preseason to neck surgery.
—Dallas News, 16 Nov. 2022
If your loved on has been experiencing back or neck pain due to their old mattress, a mattress topper may be the perfect gift.
—Deirdre Mundorf, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2021
Relieve back and neck pain and improve your posture.
—Mark Stock, Men's Health, 22 Nov. 2022
Noun
Woodward picked Bernstein up from his parents' home after connecting with him on Snapchat and stabbed him nearly 20 times in the face and neck, authorities said.
—CBS News, 9 Apr. 2024
Bush Hager asks as Hal shakes his head and buries his face in his mom’s neck.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Aaron was on the ground after being tackled by another officer and was completely unarmed when Officer George fired the lethal final bullet in Aaron’s neck.
—Tom Jackman, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Will others follow suit? Clark and Aziz both wore hijabs in line with their Muslim faith, which covers a woman’s hair, ears and neck, but leaves her face exposed.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Place it around your neck and bring the ends to the front.
—Jana Ackermann, Glamour, 5 Apr. 2024
Top model Christy Turlington opened the show, dressed in a black caftan decorated with a target print on the neck, a motif that alternates with a swan, key, marble and fish prints that cover the bomber jackets, scarf dresses and skirts, plus asymmetrical tops and palazzo trousers.
—Pino Gagliardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
Matt Mitchell injured Former Aztec Matt Mitchell took a nasty fall last weekend with Turkish club Besiktas in the EuroCup semifinals, jumping to block a shot, then flipping over the shoulder of an opposing player and landing on his head and neck.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2024
These symptoms can include neck stiffness, mood changes, and constipation.
—Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
Verb
At Christmastime, Klansmen dressed as Santa Claus and puritanical vigilantes smashed speakeasies and harassed young men and women found necking in their cars.
—Andrew Wolfson, The Courier-Journal, 7 June 2023
The 7mm-08 is just the 308 Win. necked down.
—Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 11 Apr. 2023
Made of flexible raffia, J.Crew’s best-selling wide-brim hat nails the classic, semi-floppy sun hat look while being totally functional, too — the brim gave my face and neck full sun coverage.
—Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2023
Fonda, Tomlin, Field and Moreno chatted about everything from the aging process to neck problems to sports stats after the screening.
—Malina Saval, Variety, 7 Jan. 2023
Non-electric scalp massagers can be used when applying shampoo or conditioner, while electronic models are typically used outside of the shower, and can often be used on your feet or neck too.
—Kathleen Willcox, Popular Mechanics, 14 Dec. 2022
The rookie fifth-round pick played 40 defensive snaps in his NFL debut despite having missed the entire spring, training camp and preseason to neck surgery.
—Dallas News, 16 Nov. 2022
If your loved on has been experiencing back or neck pain due to their old mattress, a mattress topper may be the perfect gift.
—Deirdre Mundorf, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2021
Relieve back and neck pain and improve your posture.
—Mark Stock, Men's Health, 22 Nov. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'neck.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English nekke, from Old English hnecca; akin to Old High German hnac nape
First Known Use
Noun
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Verb
1842, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of neck was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing neck
Dictionary Entries Near neck
Cite this Entry
“Neck.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neck. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
neck
nounˈnek
1
: the part of the body connecting the head and the main part of the body
2
: the part of a garment covering or nearest to the neck
3
a
: something like a neck in shape or position
the neck of a bottle
a neck of land
b
: the part of a tooth between the crown and the root
necked
adjective
ˈnekt
Medical Definition
neck
noun1
a
: the usually narrowed part of an animal that connects the head with the body
specifically
: the cervical region of a vertebrate
b
: the part of a tapeworm immediately behind the scolex from which new proglottids are produced
2
: a relatively narrow part suggestive of a neck: as
a
: a narrow part of a bone
the neck of the femur
b
c
: the part of a tooth between the crown and the root
More from Merriam-Webster on neck
Nglish: Translation of neck for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of neck for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about neck
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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