prawn

[ prawn ]

/ prɔn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prawn ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of various shrimplike decapod crustaceans of the genera Palaemon, Penaeus, etc., certain of which are used as food.

verb (used with object)

to catch prawns, as for food.

Nearby words

pratyahara, pratyeka, prau, prausnitz-küstner reaction, pravda, prawn, prawn cracker, prawn-sandwich, praxagoras, praxeology, praxis

Idioms

come the raw prawn, Australian Slang. to try to impose on or deceive someone (followed by with).

Origin of prawn

1400–50; late Middle English prane, of uncertain origin

Related forms

prawn·er, noun

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

Examples from the Web for prawn

PRAWN COCKTAILThis is also delicious if you replace the shrimp with smoked salmon or cooked crab.
That '70s Food|Lydia Brownlow|April 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Similar in appearance and often used synonymously—and erroneously—the shrimp and the prawn are two different creatures.
Four Things You Didn't Know About Shrimp|Jane Frye|June 24, 2009|DAILY BEAST
After a lunch of prawn curry and rice at the Bunder, you may want to visit the Lighthouse Hill and its vicinity.
An Excerpt from Between the Assassinations|Aravind Adiga|June 10, 2009|DAILY BEAST
A bit later on the prawn takes precedence, the bigger the prawn the better.
The Sunny Side of Ireland|John O'Mahony and R. Lloyd Praeger

It was out and the safety off before the flint landed; as the prawn fled, he fired from the hip.
Little Fuzzy|Henry Beam Piper
Injured sponges are eaten by the prawn Palmon lamarrei, which, however, only attacks them when the dermal membrane is broken.
Freshwater Sponges, Hydroids & Polyzoa|Nelson Annandale
But for a prawn curry there is no place like the City of Palaces.
Cakes & Ale|Edward Spencer
Then on and on with our numbers always increasing, for we passed very few pools that did not contain one prawn at least.
Devon Boys|George Manville Fenn

British Dictionary definitions for prawn

prawn

/ (prɔːn) /

noun

any of various small edible marine decapod crustaceans of the genera Palaemon, Penaeus, etc, having a slender flattened body with a long tail and two pairs of pincers

come the raw prawn Australian informal to attempt deception

Derived Forms

prawner, noun

Word Origin for prawn

C15: of obscure origin

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

prawn

noun

verb (used with object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of prawn

Related forms

Examples from the Web for prawn

British Dictionary definitions for prawn

prawn

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for prawn