1
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
their two-year-old whined and crabbed for the whole car trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaging
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 crabbing
The Broncos chose to be strategic, their offseason a laser, not a crabbing net.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
My days were spent successfully hunting for sand dollars and starfish with my sister, crabbing along the Kiawah River, and keeping my eyes peeled for alligators maneuvering between lagoons.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
Corpus Christi lessons Joey Palermo also lives along the shore and does his share of fishing, crabbing and shrimping.
—Rebekah F. Ward, Houston Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
Remains found on a beach in southwestern Washington in 2006 have been identified through DNA analysis as a former Oregon mayor who authorities think drowned while crabbing.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Officials believed Rajaniemi was alone and had been crabbing in the area, a Coast Guard official told The Press Democrat.
—Sacbee.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Fewer people are working in the industry each year, said Duarte, and crabbing is a difficult industry with a short season, and costly upkeep for boats and traps.
—Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026
My days were spent successfully hunting for sand dollars and starfish with my sister, crabbing along the Kiawah River, and keeping my eyes peeled for alligators maneuvering between lagoons.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 25 Apr. 2026
Corpus Christi lessons Joey Palermo also lives along the shore and does his share of fishing, crabbing and shrimping.
—Rebekah F. Ward, Houston Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
Remains found on a beach in southwestern Washington in 2006 have been identified through DNA analysis as a former Oregon mayor who authorities think drowned while crabbing.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026
Officials believed Rajaniemi was alone and had been crabbing in the area, a Coast Guard official told The Press Democrat.
—Sacbee.com, 13 Jan. 2026
Fewer people are working in the industry each year, said Duarte, and crabbing is a difficult industry with a short season, and costly upkeep for boats and traps.
—Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabbing
Verb
-
The move was met with outrage, with fans criticizing the singer for jumping the gun and complaining that the weather had cleared up before becoming too serious.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 June 2026
-
Doja Cat is most likely referring to voice notes, or the audio post feature, which seemed to be discontinued on X sometime in early 2025, according to user posts complaining that the feature had been removed.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
On Sunday, severe thunderstorms are possible later in the day across parts of the northern Plains, including much of the Dakotas with damaging wind gusts and large hail the primary hazards.—
Daniel Peck,
ABC News,
6 June 2026
-
On its opening day, a fleet of Ukrainian drones attacked the city, damaging a warship in the nearby port of Kronstadt and setting an oil terminal on fire.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
And watching the videos of the people jumping out of their chairs, screaming, cheering was so cool.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
2 June 2026
-
An exasperated Tomás enters the thicket himself to retrieve, among other items, Liam’s boot, and doesn’t emerge until the next day—not screaming, but fundamentally changed.—
Nora Biette-Timmons,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
Use place mats or tablecloths on your kitchen table to keep food spills, condensation from drinks, and utensils from marring or staining the surface.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
29 May 2026
-
In Strasbourg, groups of Palace supporters clashed among themselves in a square in the city centre, marring the occasion.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
And how about the Liberty players and coaches whining about it?—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
-
In other words, the league no longer wants to be in the business of fining people for playing Cody Williams and John Konchar in the fourth quarter, or listening to other GMs whining about it.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Additionally, a jury found Pasqual guilty of first-degree residential burglary and multiple counts of injuring a spouse, cohabitant, fiance's, boyfriend, girlfriend or child's parent.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
-
Overnight into Tuesday, waves of drones and missiles struck the capital, killing and injuring civilians and damaging homes, businesses and public buildings.—
Polina Lytvynova,
NPR,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The process left Carruthers bleeding and moaning on May 21, according to the witness, Maria DeLiberato, senior counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union's Capital Punishment Project.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
28 May 2026
-
The stuff with a load of people wearing wigs moaning about taxes just isn’t seen as very glamorous.—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
The uncertainty is not only rattling European allies worried about the message being sent to Russia, but also risks hurting morale among American troops -- some of whom had their rotations canceled shortly before departure -- and comes as the Army budget is already strained.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 June 2026
-
Learning to coexist with these little animals sometimes is the best method, especially if any damage is minimal and not ultimately hurting your garden in a major way.—
Molly Burford,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabbing. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
