shrimp

American  

[shrimp] / ʃrɪmp /

noun

plural

shrimps,

plural

shrimp

1. any of several small, long-tailed, chiefly marine crustaceans of the decapod suborder Natania, certain species of which are used as food.

2. Informal. a diminutive or insignificant person.

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verb (used without object)

1. to catch or try to catch shrimps.

adjective

1. (of food) made with or containing shrimp.

   shrimp salad.

2. of or relating to shrimp or their catching, processing, and marketing.

   a shrimp boat.

shrimp British  

/ ʃrɪmp /

noun

1. any of various chiefly marine decapod crustaceans of the genus Crangon and related genera, having a slender flattened body with a long tail and a single pair of pincers

2. any of various similar but unrelated crustaceans, such as the opossum shrimp and mantis shrimp

3. Also called: freshwater shrimp.  any of various freshwater shrimplike amphipod crustaceans of the genus Gammarus, esp G. pulex

4. Also called: sand shrimp.  any of various shrimplike amphipod crustaceans of the genus Gammarus, esp G. locusta See also opossum shrimp

5. informal a diminutive person, esp a child

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verb

1. (intr) to fish for shrimps

Other Word Forms

• shrimper noun
• shrimplike adjective

Etymology

Origin of shrimp

1300–50; Middle English shrimpe crustacean, puny person; akin to Middle High German schrimpfen to contract, Old English scrimman to shrink

Example Sentences

I tried the lobster BLT, grilled shrimp, chicken tenders and fries.

From The Wall Street Journal

Orlando, Fla.-based Red Lobster filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May 2024 after years of declining traffic and an overly generous all-you-can-eat shrimp deal that piled up steep losses.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the tropical Siren Social Club, I splurged on a gin martini, an appetizer of garlicky Gulf shrimp and pastry-encrusted beef Wellington.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Let's hold the shrimp down so he can get his kiss!"

From Literature

Apparently, there are some rare mountain shrimp that can be found there.

From Literature

Related Words

• cramped
• limited
• meager
• microscopic
• miniature
• minuscule
• modest
• narrow
• paltry
• poor
• short
• slight
• small-scale
• young