shrimp

¹shrimp

noun \ˈshrimp, especially Southern ˈsrimp\

plural shrimps or shrimp

Definition of SHRIMP

1

: any of numerous mostly small and marine decapod crustaceans (suborders Dendrobranchiata and Pleocyemata) having a slender elongated body, a compressed abdomen, and a long spiny rostrum and including some (especially family Penaeidae) that are commercially important as food; also : a small crustacean (as an amphipod or a branchiopod) resembling the true shrimps

2

: a very small or puny person or thing

— shrimp·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective

— shrimpy \ˈshrim-pē, ˈsrim-\ adjective

Examples of SHRIMP

1. He's a little shrimp of a boy.
2. <the boy was just a shrimp until his teens, when he had a growth spurt>

Origin of SHRIMP

Middle English shrimpe; akin to Middle Low German schrempen to contract, wrinkle, Old Norse skorpna to shrivel up

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to SHRIMP

Synonyms

diminutive, midget, mite, peewee, pygmy (also pigmy), runt, scrub, dwarf, Tom Thumb

Antonyms

behemoth, colossus, giant, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, monster, titan

Related Words

nubbin; mini, miniature; bantam; homunculus, hop-o'-my-thumb, manikin (also mannikin); half-pint

Near Antonyms

whale, whopper

Other Invertebrates (Except Insects) Terms

anemone, cephalopod, quahog

²shrimp

intransitive verb

Definition of SHRIMP

: to fish for or catch shrimps

First Known Use of SHRIMP

1808

Other Hunting and Fishing Terms

chum, covert, creel, flense, pitfall, seine, skulk, spoor, trawl

shrimp

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Peneus setiferus, an edible shrimp—Marineland of Florida

Any of approximately 2,000 decapod species (suborder Natantia) having a semitransparent body flattened from side to side and a flexible abdomen terminating in a fanlike tail. The appendages are modified for swimming, and the antennae are long and whiplike. Shrimps occur in shallow and deep ocean waters and in lakes and streams. Species range from less than an inch (a few millimeters) to about 8 in. (20 cm) long. Larger species are often called prawns. Shrimps swim backward by rapidly flexing the abdomen and tail. They eat small plants and animals; some species eat carrion. Many species are commercially important as food. See also fairy shrimp.