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• crab
  crab

  noun

  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.
• Crab
  Crab

  noun

  the constellation Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac

crab

¹ American  

[krab] / kræb /

noun

1. 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.

2. any of various other crustaceans, as the hermit crab, or other animals, as the horseshoe crab, resembling the true crabs.

3. Crab,

   1. Astronomy, Astrology. the zodiacal constellation or sign Cancer.

   2. Astronomy. the Crab Nebula.

4. any of various mechanical contrivances for hoisting or pulling.

5. Aeronautics. the maneuver of crabbing.

6. Informal. the crab louse. louse1

7. crabs,

   1. (used with a singular verb) a losing throw, as two aces, in the game of hazard.

   2. pediculosis.

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verb (used without object)

crabbed, crabbing

1. to catch or attempt to catch crabs.

2. to move sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt bursts of speed; scuttle.

3. Aeronautics. (of an aircraft) to head partly into the wind to compensate for drift.

4. Nautical. to drift or advance with some movement sideways, especially when under tow.

verb (used with object)

crabbed, crabbing

1. to move (a vehicle or object) sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt movements.

2. Aeronautics. to head (an aircraft) partly into the wind to compensate for drift.

idioms

1. catch a crab, to make a faulty stroke in rowing, so that the oar strikes the water forcibly on the backstroke.

crab ² American  

[krab] / kræb /

noun

1. a crab apple fruit or tree.

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crab ³ American  

[krab] / kræb /

noun

1. Informal. an ill-tempered or grouchy person.

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verb (used without object)

crabbed, crabbing

1. Informal. to find fault; complain.

2. (of hawks) to claw each other.

verb (used with object)

crabbed, crabbing

1. Informal. to find fault with.

2. to make ill-tempered or grouchy; embitter.

3. (of a hawk) to claw (another hawk).

4. Slang. to spoil.

crab ¹ British  

/ kræb /

noun

1. 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

2. any of various similar or related arthropods, such as the hermit crab and horseshoe crab

3. short for crab louse

4. a manoeuvre in which an aircraft flies slightly into the crosswind to compensate for drift

5. a mechanical lifting device, esp the travelling hoist of a gantry crane

6. wrestling See Boston crab

7. rowing to make a stroke in which the oar either misses the water or digs too deeply, causing the rower to fall backwards

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verb

1. (intr) to hunt or catch crabs

2. (tr) to fly (an aircraft) slightly into a crosswind to compensate for drift

3. (intr) nautical to move forwards with a slight sideways motion, as to overcome an offsetting current

4. (intr) to move sideways

crab ² British  

/ kræb /

verb

1. (intr) to find fault; grumble

2. (tr) to spoil (esp in the phrase crab someone's act )

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noun

1. an irritable person

2. to attract unwelcome attention

Crab ³ British  

/ kræb /

noun

1. the constellation Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac

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crab ⁴ British  

/ kræb /

noun

1. short for crab apple

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Other Word Forms

• crabber
  noun
• crablike
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of crab¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English crabbe, Old English crabba; cognate with Dutch krab, Old Norse krabbi; akin to German Krebs

Origin of crab²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English crabbe; perhaps special use of crab ¹

Origin of crab³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; back formation from crabbed

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Explanation

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crab Crab crabbed crabbing

Earlier this week, Anthropic hosted a limited giveaway of “Clawd” plushies and stickers — a reference to the pixelated crab logo featured in the Claude Code terminal tool.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026

Online marketplace Etsy is littered with unofficial Clawd products; one merchant sells an unsanctioned 9.4-inch plush version of the crab for $148.23.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

Raxa had stepped up his crab fishing in the days before the accident to afford an evangelical trip to his home country of Laos.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

I tried Kumamoto oysters here as part of a sprawling seafood tower — alongside snow crab, lobster tails, tuna tartare with seaweed salad and more — and they immediately became my new favorite variety.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Getting into the car, Olive seems like a crab that’s been caught and dropped in a pail.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

"I think everyone in Egremont takes part in the Crab Fair in some way," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 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

Known as the Crab, because he was born with an extra finger, the hulking Rodriguez Castro is a lieutenant colonel in the island’s interior ministry in charge of his grandfather’s security detail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 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

The dew-covered grass tickled Genie’s feet and he instantly started walking up on his toes just like the man, Crab, did.

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

This is a crabbed and mendacious interpretation of the law.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2024

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

At its core is one of the most crabbed conceptions of liberty ever penned by a Supreme Court justice.

From Slate ● May 18, 2022

Char’s hand was large and round, the letters evenly spaced, each fully formed—completely unlike my crabbed, spiky writing.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine

The transmission malfunctioned in his 1978 boat, Miss Julie, which he also uses for crabbing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 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

Benjamin Cullis, from Padstow, had been fishing and crabbing with his family when he fell off the harbour wall and hit his head on the side of a yacht on 24 June 2023.

From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2024

In the far north, where crabbing was supposed to be allowed starting Dec. 1, there’s a second issue: Testing in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties revealed poor crab meat quality.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 19, 2023

Ben turned toward Pinkie who was crabbing out to challenge him.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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