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crab
1[ krab ]
noun
- any decapod crustacean of the suborder Brachyura, having the eyes on short stalks and a short, broad, more or less flattened body, the abdomen being small and folded under the thorax.
- any of various other crustaceans, as the hermit crab, or other animals, as the horseshoe crab, resembling the true crabs.
- Crab,
- Astronomy. the Crab Nebula.
- any of various mechanical contrivances for hoisting or pulling.
- Aeronautics. the maneuver of crabbing.
- Informal. the crab louse. louse1
- crabs,
- (used with a singular verb) a losing throw, as two aces, in the game of hazard.
verb (used without object)
- to catch or attempt to catch crabs.
- to move sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt bursts of speed; scuttle.
- Aeronautics. (of an aircraft) to head partly into the wind to compensate for drift.
- Nautical. to drift or advance with some movement sideways, especially when under tow.
verb (used with object)
- to move (a vehicle or object) sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt movements.
- Aeronautics. to head (an aircraft) partly into the wind to compensate for drift.
crab
2[ krab ]
noun
- a crab apple fruit or tree.
crab
3[ krab ]
noun
- Informal. an ill-tempered or grouchy person.
verb (used without object)
- Informal. to find fault; complain.
- (of hawks) to claw each other.
verb (used with object)
- Informal. to find fault with.
- to make ill-tempered or grouchy; embitter.
- (of a hawk) to claw (another hawk).
- Slang. to spoil.
crab
1/ kræb /
crab
2/ kræb /
noun
- any chiefly marine decapod crustacean of the genus Cancer and related genera (section Brachyura ), having a broad flattened carapace covering the cephalothorax, beneath which is folded the abdomen. The first pair of limbs are modified as pincers See also fiddler crab soft-shell crab pea crab oyster crab cancroid
- any of various similar or related arthropods, such as the hermit crab and horseshoe crab
- short for crab louse
- a manoeuvre in which an aircraft flies slightly into the crosswind to compensate for drift
- a mechanical lifting device, esp the travelling hoist of a gantry crane
- wrestling See Boston crab
- catch a crabrowing to make a stroke in which the oar either misses the water or digs too deeply, causing the rower to fall backwards
verb
- intr to hunt or catch crabs
- tr to fly (an aircraft) slightly into a crosswind to compensate for drift
- intr nautical to move forwards with a slight sideways motion, as to overcome an offsetting current
- intr to move sideways
crab
3/ kræb /
verb
- intr to find fault; grumble
- tr to spoil (esp in the phrase crab someone's act )
noun
- an irritable person
- draw the crabsto attract unwelcome attention
Crab
4/ kræb /
noun
- the Crabthe constellation Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac
Other Words From
- crablike adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of crab1
Word History and Origins
Origin of crab1
Origin of crab2
Origin of crab3
Idioms and Phrases
- catch a crab, to make a faulty stroke in rowing, so that the oar strikes the water forcibly on the backstroke.
Example Sentences
However, he lets shellfish, such as crab or shrimp, sit on the kitchen counter for too long, in my opinion.
She can watch the sunset on the Chesapeake and catch crabs off her dock.
Despite the name, they are not real crabs, so they’re not crustaceans.
You can’t throw a net without snaring a crab cake in Washington.
Their eight powerful limbs can pluck crusty crabs from hiding spots.
Someone called him a hermit crab lurking in the halls of the United Nations.
There were jokes about Winston shoplifting crab legs earlier this year.
Wrap cooked crab legs in bacon, and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes.
When it comes to Dungeness crab, plain is perfect, but culinary adventurers should also try a house-made Dungeness crab burger.
Salmon burgers and shrimp burgers are available, too, but they are no match for the crab.
Leo stood in front of the Crab, and the half darkness allowed him a glimpse of that vast blue-black back, and the motionless eyes.
In the middle of his singing he felt the cold touch of the Crab's claw on the apple of his throat.
“Follow me, Mr Larks,” he said, turning and descending the ladder sailor-fashion—which means crab-wise.
She would miss the car and raise a hullabaloo, and maybe crab the whole thing in the start.
The crab begins by tearing the husk, fiber by fiber, and always from that end under which the three eye-holes are situated.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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