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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

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

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

The contrasting styles and materials of the individual elements elevate each work into an invigorating whole—a pensive portrait, for example, is given a frisson of danger thanks to the spiky crab shells that surround it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

There’s sculling lingo to learn — eight seat, catching a crab, puddles, the engine room, rushing the slide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

“I know nothing of Pulitzer Prize-winning Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was born on January sixteenth and attended Wesleyan and named his son after the crab in Little Mermaid.”

From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Part of the annual Egremont Crab Fair in Cumbria, which began in 1267, the gurning competition has been a fixture since the 1500s.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 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

The Crab Pulsar sits at the center of the Crab Nebula in the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way, about 6,500 light-years from Earth.

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

Once she did, and saw Crab standing there with the squirrels, she really went off.

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

Right from the founding, then, analogical reasoning was bold and aspirational as frequently as it was crabbed and limiting.

From Slate ● Feb. 15, 2023

In the spring, Thompson crabbed, and when buyers counted crabs, the brothers said, his father often got shorted.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 26, 2022

The girls crabbed their way up, using their hands and feet in combination.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

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

Thousands of people tune in to watch pilots perform a "crabbing" movement during stormy conditions and strong crosswinds.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2025

Fish and wildlife officials question whether depth limits have a large impact on profits in late-season months, when there typically is a crabbing decline anyway.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 4, 2023

Dad’s still crabbing, but only every other day.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings