plural shrimp or shrimps
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 (such as an amphipod or a branchiopod) resembling the true shrimp
2
usually disparaging
: a very small or puny person or thing
Examples of shrimp in a Sentence
Noun
He's a little shrimp of a boy.
the boy was just a shrimp until his teens, when he had a growth spurt
Recent Examples on the Web
Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Kushikatsu options include everything from chicken, pork, and shrimp to eggplant, quail egg, and cherry tomato.
—Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
Pop Mart has sold small Labubus, some shaped like shrimp tempura, carrying Coke products, dressed as pumpkins and more.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
My seafood cobb salad was excellent, loaded with lobster, shrimp, and fresh greens.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrimp
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Noun
Currently, according to Applebee's website, menu items include bourbon street chicken and shrimp, hot honey glazed chicken and blackened Cajun salmon.
—Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Kushikatsu options include everything from chicken, pork, and shrimp to eggplant, quail egg, and cherry tomato.
—Lennie Omalza, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
Pop Mart has sold small Labubus, some shaped like shrimp tempura, carrying Coke products, dressed as pumpkins and more.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
My seafood cobb salad was excellent, loaded with lobster, shrimp, and fresh greens.
—Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrimp
Cite this Entry
“Shrimp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrimp. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shrimp
1 of 2 noun
plural shrimps or shrimp
1
: any of numerous small mostly marine shellfish that are crustaceans related to the lobsters, that have a long slender body, an abdomen that is very thin from side to side, and long legs, and that include some important as food
2
: a very small or unimportant person or thing
shrimp
2 of 2 verb
: to fish for or catch shrimps
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