Illustration of derrick
- derrick 2
1
: a hoisting apparatus employing a tackle rigged at the end of a beam
2
: a framework or tower over a deep drill hole (as of an oil well) for supporting boring tackle or for hoisting and lowering
Did you know?
During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, London was the home of a notorious executioner named Derick. Among those he beheaded was the Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, who supposedly had once saved the life of the ungrateful executioner. While members of the nobility were accorded the courtesy of beheading, it was the lot of commoners to be hanged, and those sent to face the rope at the hands of the executioner Derick nicknamed the gallows after him. Today, derrick is commonly used for a framework, but one that supports equipment used in drilling for oil.
Examples of derrick in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Not long afterward, a derrick anchored offshore and began clawing apart the bluff, clouding Lake Michigan as neighbors, standing on tiptoes, held their phones above the privacy netting and gaped.
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Ben Ryder Howe, Curbed, 7 Aug. 2024
Gibson and his team envisioned Kuwait, where the derricks had been set on fire and everything was stained with sulfur and black.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 20 July 2024
In the 1910s, bombs detonated with regularity at nonunion construction sites — bridges, viaducts, rail yards, foundries, derricks — and proved an effective tactic in winning union contracts.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024
Cefalu remembers that a barge bearing a derrick broke away from its moorings during a weekend storm and imperiled one of the bridge’s piers.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2024
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Ben Ryder Howe, Curbed, 7 Aug. 2024
Gibson and his team envisioned Kuwait, where the derricks had been set on fire and everything was stained with sulfur and black.
—Bill Desowitz, IndieWire, 20 July 2024
In the 1910s, bombs detonated with regularity at nonunion construction sites — bridges, viaducts, rail yards, foundries, derricks — and proved an effective tactic in winning union contracts.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2024
Cefalu remembers that a barge bearing a derrick broke away from its moorings during a weekend storm and imperiled one of the bridge’s piers.
—Dan Rodricks, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for derrick
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Cite this Entry
“Derrick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/derrick. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
derrick
noun
der·rick
ˈder-ik 
1
: any of various machines for moving or hoisting heavy weights by means of a long beam fitted with pulleys and cables
2
: a framework or tower over a deep drill hole (as of an oil well) for supporting machinery
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