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
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crab
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Jan. 2026
Guests dined on sea bass, filet mignon, crab cakes, charcuterie and an array of desserts like chocolate cake and dulce de leche, the source added.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 27 Sep. 2025
New vehicle technology has advanced to the point where vehicles can crab walk, turn like tanks and more.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crab
Noun
The lobby bar serves up inventive cocktails on tap and snacks (on a recent visit, there were crab bites and mini Cuban sliders), with music by resident and guest DJs Fridays and Saturdays.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Jan. 2026
Guests dined on sea bass, filet mignon, crab cakes, charcuterie and an array of desserts like chocolate cake and dulce de leche, the source added.
—Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 16 Jan. 2026
Verb
The venue was covered in my vintage finds, the menu reflected my husband’s memories growing up crabbing at his grandparents’ house, and one of my childhood best friends performed the ceremony.
—Madeline Holcombe, CNN Money, 27 Sep. 2025
New vehicle technology has advanced to the point where vehicles can crab walk, turn like tanks and more.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crab
Noun
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Occasionally there would be a rumor of a bear roaming around on the mountain.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Jan. 2026
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Eventually, the buying power runs out, the bulls are tapped, profit-taking and short-selling bears take over.—
Todd Gordon,
CNBC,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Later, the state spent $6 million to seal the brick building, after state workers complained of respiratory ailments and asthma.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
11 Jan. 2026
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Although older drivers are certainly more sensitive to nocturnal blasts of light, drivers in their 20s and 30s also complained about the overall brightness of some vehicles.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some government offices and financial institutions were damaged during the unrest, residents said, while merchants reported being ordered to reopen businesses despite ongoing security operations.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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The gunfire damaged the car’s rear end, trunk, tail light and rear window louver, according to court documents.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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If family needs cause drama, set kind boundaries and explain them to any complainers.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 Jan. 2026
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The faculty experience has been that administrations often side with the complainers.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Heads hung low, players consoling one another or screaming obscenities at no one in particular, the care factor off the charts.—
Mirjam Swanson The Orange County Register,
Arkansas Online,
22 Jan. 2026
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Kelly and others screaming such obscenities as parishioners enter and exit the sanctuary has culminated in the parish’s requests for police escorts.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Córdoba, Spain — A commuter passenger train derailed in Gelida, near the Spanish city of Barcelona on Tuesday, killing the driver and injuring 37 people, a spokesperson for the regional government of Catalonia told CNN.—
Pau Mosquera,
CNN Money,
21 Jan. 2026
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Several people were injured during an altercation, police said, and Dallas Fire-Rescue took five victims to a hospital.—
S.E. Jenkins,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Arriving in period 1920s dress, bowler hat and leather vest in place, Correll prepared to turn the crank on his ’14 Model T, fully aware of how the term chauffeur fracture came to be.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Jan. 2026
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On Sundays after church, my family would pile into our crank-window GMC truck and head to Kentucky Fried Chicken.—
Annie Joy Williams,
The Atlantic,
4 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Some had noisy bearings, which could sound like a whining noise.—
John Paul,
The Providence Journal,
16 Jan. 2026
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Illinois Republicans have turned whining into an artform.—
Paul Miller,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crab. Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.
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