any decapod crustacean of the suborder Brachyura, having the eyes on short stalks and a short, broad, more or less flattened body, the abdomen being small and folded under the thorax.
any of various other crustaceans, as the hermit crab, or other animals, as the horseshoe crab, resembling the true crabs.
Crab,
Astronomy, Astrology. the zodiacal constellation or sign Cancer.
Astronomy. the Crab Nebula.
any of various mechanical contrivances for hoisting or pulling.
Aeronautics. the maneuver of crabbing.
Informal. the crab louse. louse1
crabs,
(used with a singular verb) a losing throw, as two aces, in the game of hazard.
to catch or attempt to catch crabs.
to move sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt bursts of speed; scuttle.
Aeronautics. (of an aircraft) to head partly into the wind to compensate for drift.
Nautical. to drift or advance with some movement sideways, especially when under tow.
to move (a vehicle or object) sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt movements.
Aeronautics. to head (an aircraft) partly into the wind to compensate for drift.
any chiefly marine decapod crustacean of the genus Cancer and related genera (section Brachyura ), having a broad flattened carapace covering the cephalothorax, beneath which is folded the abdomen. The first pair of limbs are modified as pincers See also fiddler crab soft-shell crab pea crab oyster crab
any of various similar or related arthropods, such as the hermit crab and horseshoe crab
short for crab louse
a manoeuvre in which an aircraft flies slightly into the crosswind to compensate for drift
a mechanical lifting device, esp the travelling hoist of a gantry crane
wrestling See Boston crab
rowing to make a stroke in which the oar either misses the water or digs too deeply, causing the rower to fall backwards
(intr) to hunt or catch crabs
(tr) to fly (an aircraft) slightly into a crosswind to compensate for drift
(intr) nautical to move forwards with a slight sideways motion, as to overcome an offsetting current
(intr) to move sideways
(intr) to find fault; grumble
(tr) to spoil (esp in the phrase crab someone's act )
an irritable person
to attract unwelcome attention
First recorded before 1000; Middle English crabbe, Old English crabba; cognate with Dutch krab, Old Norse krabbi; akin to German Krebs
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English crabbe; perhaps special use of crab 1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; back formation from crabbed
A crab is a stubby sea creature with a flat body, eight legs, and claws. You can sometimes find tiny crabs in the sand on the beach. Crabs have a thick, shell-like covering called an "exoskeleton," and you can find them in both fresh and saltwater. Some types of crab are considered a delicacy, with sweet, delicate flesh often called "crab meat." There are many shelled sea creatures with crab in their names, like horseshoe crabs and hermit crabs, that aren't true crabs. The word crab comes from a Germanic root related to the Low German krabben, "to claw."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Serve them with crispy French fries and you’ve got a meal; or take things in a completely different direction with crab grilled cheese and peak-season tomato soup.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Williams, whose main course options include Porth Eirias dressed crab and Welsh lamb, said he would never exile the scone.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
The virtual crab image appeared behind the octopus, either on its left or right side, but was visible only through the mirror.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2026
Families rent crab pots and put their catch in plastic buckets held by delighted children.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
Sammy and James took the few bony fish they had caught and baited the crab traps.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
For critic Jamieson, highlights include Jamie Dornan's rugby sketch, in which he goes to elaborate lengths to injure himself, and Traitors spoof The Great Big Crab Man.
From BBC ● May 17, 2026
“There were people who saw the beauty way before anyone else,” said Stephen Sawitz, owner of Joe’s Stone Crab, a South Beach institution, “and Michele Pommier was one of those.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 7, 2026
"There's a bright band, then nothing, bright band, nothing. No other pulsar shows this kind of striation. That uniqueness made the Crab Pulsar especially interesting -- and challenging -- to understand."
From Science Daily ● Mar. 28, 2026
After games at the Rose Bowl, the family would meet at Clancy’s Crab Broiler in Glendale, where Keith regularly ordered the fish soup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026
Grandpop dug into his pocket, then opened his palm to show Crab the cash he had just given him.
From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds
She also shaved her head — all to add authenticity as her queen evolved from youth to crabbed old age.
From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2023
Such a crabbed view goes against how art is often created — spontaneously, with improvisation and serendipity.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 27, 2023
Right from the founding, then, analogical reasoning was bold and aspirational as frequently as it was crabbed and limiting.
From Slate ● Feb. 15, 2023
This is a truly crabbed and reductive view of the man and his work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2021
His sisters were gone to Morton in my stead: I sat reading Schiller; he, deciphering his crabbed Oriental scrolls.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
A GoFundMe set up in Meadows’ name described the deckhand from Montesano, Wash., as a father to “three amazing little boys” who died “while doing what he loved — crabbing out on Alaskan waters.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 6, 2026
A fundraiser set up in Meadows’ name described the deckhand from Montesano, Wash., as a father to “three amazing little boys” who died “while doing what he loved — crabbing out on Alaskan waters.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
Mr Walsh, who described himself as a "dabhand at handling crabs" after taking his kids crabbing on their holidays, said he gave the creature "a little stroke" and could see it was still moving.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025
The earliest that commercial crabbing could begin in the far north would be Dec. 16, state officials said.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2023
When school let out in the middle of May, I began getting up long before dawn to go crabbing.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
