Meaning & use

crickets

noun·Everyday

Last updated

Used informally to describe total silence or a complete lack of response.

See it in a sentence

I texted him three times and got nothing but crickets.

The room went to crickets after she asked if anyone had questions.

A note on using this word

The idiom evokes the classic sound-effect cliché of chirping crickets used in film and TV to signal an awkward silence.

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Another way to use it

2. noun

Small jumping insects known for the chirping sound males make by rubbing their wings together.

Crickets chirped loudly in the field all summer night.

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