neck
noun · verb
Simple meaning
The part of an organism that connects the head to the rest of the body.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
nehkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈnɛk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
anatomy
The part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
“He admired her long graceful neck.”
anatomy
The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals.
The part of a shirt, dress etc., which fits a person's neck.
The corresponding part in some other anatomical contexts.
The tapered part of a bottle toward the opening.
A narrow elongated projecting strip of land
verb
intransitiveinformalchiefly us
To intently kiss or cuddle; to canoodle.
intransitive
To decrease in diameter.
transitiveslang
To drink or swallow rapidly.
transitiveslang
To hang by the neck; strangle; kill, eliminate.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Varies by meaning
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
Used this way, neck is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a clinical use: it belongs to medical description, where it is factual rather than emotive.
“He admired her long graceful neck.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Medicine/healthcare
- Science
- Technical/specialist writing
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Nearby words
- cervix , a specialist term, precise but narrower
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use neck
- “He admired her long graceful neck.”noun
- “The banjo had a long neck.”noun
- “The couple were necking in the back seat of the car.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Having a neck or having a neck especially as specified (often used in combination).
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
One of 7 vertebrae in the human spine located in the neck region.
A brace worn to steady the neck.
Even or close in a race or competition or comparison.
An opening in a garment for the neck of the wearer.
A surrounding or nearby region.
Edible thymus gland of an animal.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Jewelry consisting of a cord or chain (often bearing gems) worn about the neck as an ornament (especially by women).
The line formed by the edge of a garment around the neck.
Yellow squash with a thin curved neck and somewhat warty skin.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: part of an organism (human
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “neck” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.