as in bears
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 complains
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 damages
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
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Recent Examples of crabs
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
An undersea submersible has revealed crabs, worms, and fish living on World War II explosives in the Baltic Sea.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
These are related to crabs and lobsters, but spend their whole lives up in the water.
—Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
Before colonial settlers arrived in the 1700s, Indigenous people likely traveled to the island in the summer to take advantage of the abundant fish and crabs, according to the National Park Service.
—Julie Depenbrock, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
For generations, the Gullah Geechee have been sharing their culture and cuisine, which relies on rice, peas, okra, shrimp, and crabs.
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025
Warm water may push adult crabs deeper as well.
—Bill Kearney, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Who’s going to climb over all the other crabs and inevitably kill them in order to survive?
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Wellness seekers can retreat to the spa for signature treatments like the Awakening Bamboo Massage, or head out on Nature Encounters—cruising with dolphins, birding at Big Talbot Island State Park, or even helping a marine biologist pull a Seine net to catch crabs and shrimps.
—Cassidy Randall, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Noun
It's also believed that crabs of this species survived after a meteorite struck Earth around 66 million years ago, the infamous event that led to the extinction of dinosaurs.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2025
An undersea submersible has revealed crabs, worms, and fish living on World War II explosives in the Baltic Sea.
—Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
These are related to crabs and lobsters, but spend their whole lives up in the water.
—Literary Hub, 25 Sep. 2025
Before colonial settlers arrived in the 1700s, Indigenous people likely traveled to the island in the summer to take advantage of the abundant fish and crabs, according to the National Park Service.
—Julie Depenbrock, NPR, 22 Sep. 2025
For generations, the Gullah Geechee have been sharing their culture and cuisine, which relies on rice, peas, okra, shrimp, and crabs.
—Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 16 Sep. 2025
Warm water may push adult crabs deeper as well.
—Bill Kearney, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Who’s going to climb over all the other crabs and inevitably kill them in order to survive?
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Wellness seekers can retreat to the spa for signature treatments like the Awakening Bamboo Massage, or head out on Nature Encounters—cruising with dolphins, birding at Big Talbot Island State Park, or even helping a marine biologist pull a Seine net to catch crabs and shrimps.
—Cassidy Randall, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabs
Noun
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In summer, the bears glow against a palette of blues and greens with daytime temperatures swinging from T-shirt to fleece-level.—
Susan Portnoy,
AFAR Media,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In most attacks, bears are trying to defend their food, cubs or space.—
Lauren Liebhaber,
Kansas City Star,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The President reportedly watches hours of cable news every day, and frequently complains about coverage in real time.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
-
There has been a consistent pattern with Florida football where a group of Gators fans complains about the current head coach, sportswriters mock them for having unrealistic expectations, and then those fans turn out to be totally correct.—
Stewart Mandel,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Feinerman explained that dryness in the eyes can cause an inflammatory response that damages the pigment layer of the macula, accelerating eye aging.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
25 Sep. 2025
-
These instructions help turn off the harmful protein that damages brain cells.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The faculty experience has been that administrations often side with the complainers.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
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Recognize Quieter Customers Celebrate the non-complainers.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Sobs and screams split the air.—
Milena Malaver,
Miami Herald,
4 Oct. 2025
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Visitors report hearing faint voices and screams when inside the room.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Deadly holiday weekend mars broad crime drop The back-and-forth followed a Labor Day weekend of deadly violence in Chicago worse than in the previous two years, with seven people shot to death, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
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Valuing a project at cost of production rather than value in an arm’s length sale—common in all economic statistics—especially mars Chinese data.—
Bill Conerly,
Forbes.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Automobility directly or indirectly causes one in 34 deaths annually, injures more than 100 million people a year, and has killed as many people as the two World Wars combined.—
Henrietta Moore,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
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If a dog that has not been officially declared dangerous severely injures or kills a person when unprovoked, authorities may confiscate the dog, and the dog’s owner is liable for the incident.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This is where Reed Garrett’s injury hurts the Mets; the right-handed reliever is more platoon-neutral.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
-
Mayor Koch is only feeding into the doubters and deniers who fail to recognize that sometimes the truth hurts, but what’s the other option?—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabs. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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