crawdad

American

[kraw-dad] / ˈkrɔˌdæd /

noun

crayfish.

Usage

What does crawdad mean? Crawdad is American slang for a crayfish, a freshwater crustacean related to the lobster. Crustaceans are shellfish and include crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. Crawdad, crawdaddy, crawfish, and crayfish all refer to the same general type of animal, but there are several different species. Crawdad is mostly used in the Central Midwestern region of the United States, but its use extends to several states. Example: Missouri is crawdad country—we call ’em “Midwestern lobsters.”

Etymology

Origin of crawdad

An Americanism first recorded in 1900–05; craw(fish) + dad (perhaps dad ¹ ); cf. doodad

Compare meaning

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

crawdad

The investigation began when Caitlin Bloomer pulled an enormous Crawzilla crawdad from the mud during a biological survey in Kentucky.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

While crawdad season is earlier in the year, catfish fries and seafood boils happen year-round, special occasions or just for an excuse to get together.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 30, 2022

I remember having hopped into the creek first when a large, blue crawdad appeared, its pincers raised to fight.

From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2021

When the crawdad pinched the liver, we yanked the string and tossed the crawdad onto the bank.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2016

Liz looked doubtful, but splashed the stick in the water right in front of the crawdad.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023