spider crab

American

noun

any of various crabs of the family Majidae, having long, slender legs and a comparatively small, triangular body.

spider crab British

noun

any of various crabs of the genera Macropodia, Libinia, etc, having a small triangular body and very long legs

"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

Etymology

Origin of spider crab

First recorded in 1700–10

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.

Don’t skip the oysters, the stuffed spider crab, or the roasted leeks.

From Salon

Ms Barlow said she had been trying to find a spider crab on 6 May when she found the sea slug between Castle and Gyllyngvase beaches.

From BBC

Lorry driver Richard Lee was out for a walk with his friends when he came across thousands of the spider crab carcasses on Aberffraw Bay.

From BBC

Don't skip the oysters, the stuffed spider crab, or the roasted leeks.

From Salon

Studying an underwater volcano is hard enough without a spider crab getting in the way.

From The Verge

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