prawn

[ prawn ]

See 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.

Idioms about prawn

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

Other words from prawn

prawner, noun

Words Nearby prawn

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use prawn in a sentence

The iconic Stagecoach Inn hasn’t changed much since it opened in 1959, and the restaurant is still known for its crispy hand-breaded prawns, prime rib, and steak and beans.
Eater’s Guide to Idaho’s Snake River Valley | Amanda Gabriele | November 23, 2021 | Eater
prawn COCKTAILThis is also delicious if you replace the shrimp with smoked salmon or cooked crab.
That '70s Food | Lydia Brownlow | April 22, 2011 | THE 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 | THE 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 | THE DAILY BEAST
Among them are the shrimp and prawn, thin-shelled, active crustaceans common along our eastern coast.
A Civic Biology | George William Hunter

They strike the water with great force, and so send the prawn or Shrimp quickly backwards.
On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith
To move quickly, the Shrimp or prawn merely bends his body, then straightens it.
On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith
When the prawn or Shrimp is not in a hurry, he swims slowly but surely with the little paddles, or "swimmerets."
On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith
To tell a live Shrimp from a prawn, look at the long pointed beak which juts out from the front of the head.
On the Seashore | R. Cadwallader Smith

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

Origin of prawn

C15: of obscure origin

Derived forms of prawn

prawner, noun

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

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