crab 1 of 2

noun

Definition of crabnext
as in bear
an irritable and complaining person you're always such a crab in the morning!

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crab

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely their two-year-old whined and crabbed for the whole car trip

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of crabbed the blossoming romance by becoming moody and demanding

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of crab
Noun
Today, its mangroves buffer Odisha’s vulnerable coastline against frequent cyclones and provide breeding grounds for fish, prawns, and crabs that sustain thousands of fisher families. — Kalpana Sunder, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2026 For all the global influences, though, some of the city’s traditional specialties are humble seafood preparations, including Hummersuppe (lobster soup), Krabbensuppe (crab soup), and Aalsuppe (eel soup). — Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2026
Verb
On a breezy pier overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge, a growing group of women are discovering that the rewards of crabbing extend far beyond what ends up in a bucket. — Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 22 June 2026 As the crabbing season gains momentum, Maryland watermen are grappling with a surge in operational expenses, led by high fuel prices that are forcing them to pass rising costs on to consumers. — Tessa Bentulan, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for crab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crab
  1. bear
  2. complain
  3. damage
  4. complainer
  5. scream
  6. injure
  7. crank
  8. whine
Noun
  • In Gold Hill, Sullivan's brother-in-law solved the bear-in-Toyota problem by tugging a rope tied to a door handle.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Bringing lions, elephants, bears or crocodiles to Rome from the furthest reaches of the Empire was a way of displaying the extent of the world Rome had conquered.
    — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of bear
Verb
  • Meanwhile top women’s seed Aryna Sabalenka complained when the smell of marijuana wafted from crowd to court.
    — Greg Cote September 6, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Influencers, along with other fans, have interrupted matches and top player Aryna Sabalenka complained about the smell of marijuana during a match.
    — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of complain
Verb
  • Extensive lines backed up at Kauai's primary airport as people tried to leave the island; state officials said the airport was operating on a lone backup generator because a second generator was damaged by the storm.
    — GENE JOHNSON, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026
  • The precise composition of ancient Egyptian paints, binders, adhesives, and similar materials used to make artifacts is largely unknown, in part because a full analysis would require taking samples that would damage those valuable artifacts.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of damage
Noun
  • My ‘Deborah Vance Show senior writer’ persona was kind of a rude complainer with an incipient alcohol problem.
    — Merrill Markoe, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Are they deluded into thinking that the complainers are just a squeaky wheel minority and the majority of fans are happy with it?
    — Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 13 July 2026
Definition of complainer
Verb
  • Hathaway screams into a walkie talkie, encouraging them to jump out of the building.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Then, as the sparks fly behind him and the crowd screams in astonishment, the throat-busting roar of triumph.
    — Rob Tanner, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of scream
Verb
  • Less than a week after Baltimore spent $5 million to claim him off waivers, Robert injured his hamstring.
    — Andy McCullough, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • At a separate Ohio event, an armed assailant charged toward Democratic candidate for Ohio governor Amy Acton during a Sunday stop at the Canfield Fair and injured several people before he was stopped by troopers, authorities said.
    — Patrick Whittle, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of injure
Noun
  • In the ever more precarious world of academia, the neck of the principled luddite crank might be particularly attractive when institutions swing the axe in the next round of layoffs.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
  • In 2022, a group calling itself the America First SOS Coalition endorsed a slate of cranks and quacks who ran for secretary of state in 14 states, including the presidential battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of crank
Verb
  • And everyone stop whining to their mom about the other one – or in this case, a federal judge.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Quit whining about the stupid catch, quit whining about Jazz stealing third, and maybe start talking about how the Red Sox were a complete no-show all weekend long.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of whine

Browse Nearby Words

cozy
crab
crabbed
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Cite this Entry

“Crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crab. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on crab

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crab

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