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 Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
On top of this lobster heist that’s grabbing headlines, a load of crabs being shipped from a cold storage facility in Massachusetts also went missing on December 2, The Boston Globe reported.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 31 Dec. 2025
The divers found a swath of ocean populated by weird and wild creatures, from delicate corals and shimmering worms to spiky sea slugs and hairy crabs.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Once the crabs were out, the relief was immediate, but the unease lingered.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025
The soft-shell crabs and the sunsets alone make Tangier well worth a visit.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 18 Dec. 2025
Unlike typical, flat concrete seawalls, living seawalls can be designed to look like mangrove roots, which provide small spaces for crabs and fish to live, promotes biodiversity and absorbs some of the impact from storm surges and strong waves.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 17 Dec. 2025
From microbes to crabs to people, all living things have their own itches to scratch.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Just a lot of crabs in the barrel.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
While pharmaceutical companies traditionally return the crabs to the water after extracting a portion of their blood for LAL tests, mortality rates after bleeding can exceed 15–30% in some estimates.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
On top of this lobster heist that’s grabbing headlines, a load of crabs being shipped from a cold storage facility in Massachusetts also went missing on December 2, The Boston Globe reported.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 31 Dec. 2025
The divers found a swath of ocean populated by weird and wild creatures, from delicate corals and shimmering worms to spiky sea slugs and hairy crabs.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Once the crabs were out, the relief was immediate, but the unease lingered.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025
The soft-shell crabs and the sunsets alone make Tangier well worth a visit.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 18 Dec. 2025
Unlike typical, flat concrete seawalls, living seawalls can be designed to look like mangrove roots, which provide small spaces for crabs and fish to live, promotes biodiversity and absorbs some of the impact from storm surges and strong waves.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 17 Dec. 2025
From microbes to crabs to people, all living things have their own itches to scratch.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Just a lot of crabs in the barrel.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabs
Noun
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China’s decision not to renew the leases of those four bears was potentially related to Taiwan as well, one international relations expert told CNN earlier, coming after Shirahama elected a mayor with a pro-Taiwan stance.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The bears are sick of hearing about the long-term fundamentals.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
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People tend to get involved once a problem becomes visible – when a price looks wrong, a transaction is flagged or a customer complains.—
Murugan Anandarajan,
The Conversation,
22 Jan. 2026
-
In any work setting, there’s a person who sits around the table and complains about what’s wrong with the company, and then, when the boss walks in, that same person is over there pouring coffee, quiet as a church mouse.—
Willie Colon,
New York Times,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
What damages a human being is sin.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The progressive disease damages the protective cover around nerves called myelin in your central nervous system, according to the Cleveland Clinic.—
Virginia Chamlee,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
If family needs cause drama, set kind boundaries and explain them to any complainers.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
2 Jan. 2026
-
The faculty experience has been that administrations often side with the complainers.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An emergency immigration hotline took a call from Delaney Hall in which the operator heard screams in the background.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
19 Jan. 2026
-
Nothing screams 2016 quite like the flower crown, and Eva Longoria served face in this flawless selfie.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The picture exudes both grace and vulnerability, and hints at imperfection by way of a disconcerting, coral-like wrinkle that mars the foot’s heel.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
20 Dec. 2025
-
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
Verb
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Shannon moans right about the time Jenn walks out to see what the commotion is all about.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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California law already criminalizes unsafe gun storage in certain situations, including when a child accesses a firearm and injures or kills someone.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
29 Dec. 2025
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In self-defense, Franck's group injures one of the attackers.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
26 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Crabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabs. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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