crab

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈkrab

often attributive

Synonyms of crab next

plural crabs also crab : any of numerous chiefly marine broadly built decapod crustaceans:

: any of an infraorder (Brachyura) with a short broad usually flattened carapace, a small abdomen that curls forward beneath the body, short antennae, and the anterior pair of limbs modified as grasping pincers

: any of various crustaceans of an infraorder (Anomura) resembling true crabs in the more or less reduced condition of the abdomen

capitalized : cancer sense 1

crabs plural : infestation with crab lice

: the angular difference between an aircraft's course and the heading necessary to make that course in the presence of a crosswind

crab

2 of 5

verb (1)

crabbed; crabbing

intransitive verb

: to fish for crabs

a(1)

: to move sideways indirectly or diagonally

(2)

: to crab an airplane

: to scuttle or scurry sideways

transitive verb

: to cause to move sideways or in an indirect or diagonal manner

specifically : to head (an airplane) into a crosswind to counteract drift

: to subject to crabbing

crab

3 of 5

noun (2)

: crab apple

crab

4 of 5

noun (3)

: an ill-tempered person : grouch

crab

5 of 5

verb (2)

crabbed; crabbing

transitive verb

: to make sullen : sour

old age has crabbed his nature

: to complain about peevishly

: spoil, ruin

intransitive verb

: carp, grouse

always crabs about the weather

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Their boils also come in varieties that include other seafood alongside crawfish, so the rare crawfish hater in the family can have shrimp or crab instead. —

Abigail Rosenthal, Chron, 8 Feb. 2023 Findings in Gruta da Figueira Brava demonstrate that Neanderthals cooked the shellfish and crab over coals and then broke them open to eat the meat that was inside. —

Mac Stone, Discover Magazine, 20 Feb. 2023 Dishes like northern-style laap sausage; pollock in a sour curry; or glass noodles baked with pork belly and crab in a clay pot are excellent and full-throated spicy. —

Eric Asimov, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2023 Restaurant owners are facing rising prices on everything from beef to chicken wings to crab. —

Christina Tkacik, baltimoresun.com, 20 July 2021 Cooperman, who once paid nearly $5 million to settle insider trading charges brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, resurfaced last year to crab again about a wealth tax. —

Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2022 One is immediately forced to crab-walk downhill, and nearly slips into the canyon below. —

New York Times, 12 May 2022 Scott told me Promare created a training set of millions of images of things that float in the sea, from buoys to boats to crab pots, taken in all kinds of weather and lighting conditions to train its algorithm. —

Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 30 Nov. 2021 Supply chains globally are realigning after the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic, which choked supplies of everything from cars to crab meat. —

Stefania Spezzati, Bloomberg.com, 11 Oct. 2021

Noun

Expect unique dishes from arepas with cashew crema to vegan crab cakes atop arugula slaw. —

Neha Tandon, Women's Health, 23 Mar. 2023 The Maryland pride, manifested in the form of a crab cake that’s perched atop the burger. —

Tim Carman, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2023 So at Stanton Social Prime, which is adjacent to Tao Group’s Omnia nightclub, Santos is bringing back popular mashups like his French onion soup dumplings and his crab cake corn dogs. —

Andy Wang, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2023 Food trucks will be selling green corn muffins, crab cake empanadas and more. —

Sheryl Devore, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2023 No, the reasons appear to be the obvious ones, including the dearth of affordable housing, the high cost of living, the fires, the drought, crime, the absence of anything approaching a decent crab cake. —

Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2023 Dang it, who else is craving a crab roll? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. —

Sara Netzley, EW.com, 17 Jan. 2023 Go for oxtail soup dumplings, shrimp shu mai and soft-shell crab rice noodle rolls. —

Brooke Viggiano, Chron, 21 Dec. 2022 Best ways to eat it: Prepare crab cakes as an appetizer, add crabmeat to seafood chowder, or mix into your salad. —

Kathleen Felton, Health, 9 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crab.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English crabbe, from Old English crabba; akin to Old High German krebiz crab and perhaps to Old English ceorfan to carve — more at carve

Noun (2)

Middle English crabbe, perhaps from crabbe crab entry 1

Verb (2)

Middle English crabben, probably back-formation from crabbed

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1657, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1580, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1662, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of crab was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crab. Accessed 30 Mar. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

crab

1 of 4 noun

ˈkrab

: any of various crustaceans with a short broad usually flattened shell of chitin, a small abdomen curled forward beneath the body, and a front pair of limbs with strong pincers

also : any of various other crustaceans resembling the true crabs in having an abdomen much reduced in size

capitalized : cancer sense 1

: any of various machines for raising or hauling heavy weights

plural : the state of being infested with crab lice

crab

2 of 4 verb

crabbed; crabbing

: to fish for crabs

crabber noun

crab

3 of 4 verb

crabbed; crabbing

: to find fault : complain

crab

4 of 4 noun

: crab apple

: a sour ill-tempered person

Medical Definition

crab

noun

ˈkrab

: any of a tribe (Brachyura) of chiefly marine crustaceans with a short broad usually flattened carapace, a small abdomen that curls forward beneath the body, short antennae, and the anterior pair of limbs modified as grasping pincers