Dictionary.com
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.
true
false
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of crap

1
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English crap “siftings of grain; chaff,” from Old French c(h)rape “siftings,” or Middle Dutch krappe “anything cut off or separated; scrap of meat”

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH crap

crap , crape, crepe, crêpe, crept

Other definitions for crap (2 of 2)

crap2
[ krap ]
/ kræp /
noun
(in craps) a losing throw, in which the total on the two dice is 2, 3, or 12.
craps.
Verb Phrases past and past participle crapped,present participle crap·ping.
crap out,
  1. Also called seven out . (in the game of craps) to throw a 7 rather than make one's point.
  2. Slang. to abandon a project, activity, etc., because of fear, cowardice, exhaustion, loss of enthusiasm, etc.
  3. Slang. to break a promise or fail to fulfill a duty or obligation; renege.

Origin of crap

2
An Americanism dating back to 1835–45; back formation from craps
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to crap

junk, bull, bullshit, drivel, nonsense, garbage, refuse, trash, bosh, bunk, claptrap, foolishness, guff, hokum, hooey, poppycock, rigmarole, twaddle, baloney, bunkum

How to use crap in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for crap (1 of 2)

crap1
/ (kræp) /
noun
a losing throw in the game of craps
another name for craps

Word Origin for crap

C20: back formation from craps

British Dictionary definitions for crap (2 of 2)

crap2
/ (kræp) slang /
noun
nonsense
rubbish
another word for faeces
verb craps, crapping or crapped
(intr) another word for defecate

Word Origin for crap

C15 crappe chaff, from Middle Dutch, probably from crappen to break off

usage for crap

This word was formerly considered to be taboo, and it was labelled as such in previous editions of Collins English Dictionary . However, it has now become acceptable in speech, although some older or more conservative people may object to its use
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

Other Idioms and Phrases with crap

crap
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK