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What Is '<Crickets>'? What Does <Crickets> Mean?

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What Is '<Crickets>'? What Does <Crickets> Mean?(photo by Photolibrary / Getty Images)
Question: What Is '<Crickets>'? What Does <Crickets> Mean?
Answer: "<Crickets>" is a chat term that means "no one is responding to my question; please speak up, people". It is used when someone is seeking a reply from others, and wants to politely nudge people to respond.

The expression "<Crickets>" is a reference to being alone in the forest, listening to the sound of crickets. It is common for this <Crickets> expression to be spelled in lower case with the two "<" ">" wicket symbols.

Examples of <Crickets> usage:

  • Can anyone tell me where I can change my avatar here on the forum?
  • (there is no response for 30 seconds in the chat room)
  • Anyone?
  • (still no response from other chat room members)
  • <crickets>
  • (from another user:) Sorry, was away from keyboard. Try using the "settings" menu at the top right of your screen to change your avatar.


The <crickets> expression, like many cultural curiousities of the Internet, is a part of modern English communication.

Read more Internet abbreviations and shorthand expressions...

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