crab

[ krab ]

/ kræb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crab ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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

(initial capital letter) Astronomy, Astrology. the zodiacal constellation or sign Cancer.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the Crab Nebula.

any of various mechanical contrivances for hoisting or pulling.

Aeronautics. the maneuver of crabbing.

Informal. the crab louse.See under louse(def 1).

crabs,

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

verb (used without object), crabbed, crab·bing.

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.

verb (used with object), crabbed, crab·bing.

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.

Nearby words

cqb, cqsw, cr, cr., craal, crab, crab apple, crab cactus, crab canon, crab grass, crab louse

Idioms

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

Origin of crab

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

Related forms

crab·like, adjective

Definition for crab (2 of 3)

crab

[ krab ]

/ kræb /

noun

a crab apple fruit or tree.

Origin of crab

1300–50; Middle English crabbe; perhaps special use of crab¹

Definition for crab (3 of 3)

crab

[ krab ]

/ kræb /

noun

Informal. an ill-tempered or grouchy person.

verb (used without object), crabbed, crab·bing.

Informal. to find fault; complain.

(of hawks) to claw each other.

verb (used with object), crabbed, crab·bing.

Informal. to find fault with.

to make ill-tempered or grouchy; embitter.

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

Slang. to spoil.

Origin of crab

1350–1400; Middle English; back formation from crabbed

Related forms

crab·ber, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crab

Salmon burgers and shrimp burgers are available, too, but they are no match for the crab.
Become a Fried Seafood Believer at South Beach Market|Jane & Michael Stern|April 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I watched the crab scramble for shelter as everything he knows turned on its side.
Telling My Family That I’m Leaving Again for Afghanistan|Nick Willard|April 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scott Murray attached a GoPro camera to a crab net—and was surprised with what he saw.
Man Attaches GoPro Camera to Crab Net, Sees Crabs|Brian Ries|January 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The crab complaint," he writes, "has recurred more than a dozen times in newspapers around the country.
GOP Aims to Cut $40 Billion Out of Food Stamps to Foil Illusory ‘Cheaters’|Jamelle Bouie|September 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Add the crab meat, breadcrumbs, egg, mayonnaise, and sour cream.
Foods That We Love But Shouldn’t|Lydia Brownlow|July 15, 2011|DAILY BEAST
By-and-by the ape came to visit the crab, and seeing the fine tree laden with the yellow-brown fruit, begged a few.
Japanese Fairy World|William Elliot Griffis
The creek above mentioned was named Crab Creek because some of the brethren saw a very large crab in it.
William Clayton's Journal|William Clayton
The game is to guess in which pile is the whale, and the crab, and the duck.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 1|Hubert Howe Bancroft
The transplanted fragments continue to live and grow until the Crab appears like a miniature moving forest.
The Life of Crustacea|William Thomas Calman
And the Crab lived happily in the beautiful lake for the rest of his life.
The Giant Crab and Other Tales from Old India|W.H.D. Rouse

British Dictionary definitions for crab (1 of 4)

crab

/ (kræb) /

noun

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 pincersSee also fiddler crab, soft-shell crab, pea crab, oyster crab Related adjective: cancroid

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

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

verb crabs, crabbing or crabbed

(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

Word Origin for crab

Old English crabba; related to Old Norse krabbi, Old High German krebiz crab, Dutch krabben to scratch

British Dictionary definitions for crab (2 of 4)

crab

/ (kræb) informal /

verb crabs, crabbing or crabbed

(intr) to find fault; grumble

(tr) mainly US to spoil (esp in the phrase crab someone's act)

noun

an irritable person

draw the crabs Australian to attract unwelcome attention

Word Origin for crab

C16: probably back formation from crabbed

British Dictionary definitions for crab (3 of 4)

crab

/ (kræb) /

noun

short for crab apple

Word Origin for crab

C15: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish skrabbe crab apple

British Dictionary definitions for crab (4 of 4)

Crab

/ (kræb) /

noun

the Crab the constellation Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

crab

noun

verb (used without object), crabbed, crab·bing.

verb (used with object), crabbed, crab·bing.

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of crab

Related forms

Definition for crab (2 of 3)

crab

noun

Origin of crab

Definition for crab (3 of 3)

crab

noun

verb (used without object), crabbed, crab·bing.

verb (used with object), crabbed, crab·bing.

Origin of crab

Related forms

Examples from the Web for crab

British Dictionary definitions for crab (1 of 4)

crab

noun

verb crabs, crabbing or crabbed

Word Origin for crab

British Dictionary definitions for crab (2 of 4)

crab

verb crabs, crabbing or crabbed

noun

Word Origin for crab

British Dictionary definitions for crab (3 of 4)

crab

noun

Word Origin for crab

British Dictionary definitions for crab (4 of 4)

Crab

noun