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
Dungeness crab from the California coast won't be on the menu for another holiday season, as state wildlife officials delayed the commercial crab fishing season into early 2027. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026 The waterfront features a whiskey distillery, green spaces and restaurants offering local delicacy options, like steamed crabs and crab cakes. — Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Verb
Northside Park, a 58-acre complex that includes pickleball courts, soccer fields, walking and biking trails, and a fishing and crabbing pier, is an ideal spot to stay active. — Katie Riley, Southern Living, 15 July 2026 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 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
  • No bears have been captured, and the public was asked to avoid the trail area.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Among his trophies are an Alaskan moose and caribou, wild boars, bears, whitetail deer, Catalina goats and more mule deer bucks than some hunters see in a lifetime.
    — Rich LaRocco, Outdoor Life, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of bear
Verb
  • Someone else even complained about the self-clean feature ruining their appliance.
    — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2026
  • By July, morale among immigration officers had dipped below its nadir during the Biden Administration, with agents now complaining of being overextended, inundated with novice recruits, and undermined by inflammatory rhetoric from on high.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of complain
Verb
  • Rodents are also more likely to damage trees that are heavily mulched right up to their trunks.
    — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 6 Nov. 2026
  • If El Niño brings storms that damage the road again, history suggests Caltrans will fix it, seemingly stuck in an endless loop of patchwork repairs for one of California’s most challenging mountain highways to maintain.
    — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 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
  • Upon arriving at Bottiglierivega's door, a police sergeant heard screaming and spotted blood nearby.
    — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Officers arrived at the scene and found people screaming as a man was lying in the street, suffering from gunshot wounds.
    — Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of scream
Verb
  • No bystanders were injured in the shooting, according to police.
    — DeJanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Police said the occupant of the semitractor-trailer was not injured.
    — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of injure
Noun
  • Record-collecting Gen X cranks might be reminded of rickety ’90s fixtures like Cheater Slicks and Country Teasers.
    — Stuart Berman, Pitchfork, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Gone were compositor rooms where as many as a 100 workers laid out letters and pulled cranks.
    — Aaron Glantz, Christian Science Monitor, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of crank
Verb
  • Just thank God you were born female and stop whining over your bad choices.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Unlike last year when Texas coach Steve Sarkisian whined about his non-conference schedule, his main complaint this year will be his conference schedule.
    — Mac Engel October 25, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of whine

Browse Nearby Words

cozy
crab
crabbed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crab. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on crab

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about crab

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