prawn

[ prawn ]
See synonyms for prawn on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of various shrimplike decapod crustaceans of the genera Palaemon, Penaeus, etc., certain of which are used as food.

verb (used with object)
  1. to catch prawns, as for food.

Idioms about prawn

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

Origin of prawn

1
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

  • 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
  1. 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

  2. come the raw prawn Australian informal to attempt deception

Origin of prawn

1
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