crabwise

American

[krab-wahyz] / ˈkræbˌwaɪz /

adverb

sideways.

patrons edging crabwise along the crowded row of theater seats.

crabwise British

/ ˈkræbˌwaɪz /

adjective

(of motion) sideways; like a crab

"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 crabwise

First recorded in 1900–05; crab ¹ + -wise

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.

As Mr. Musk moved crabwise toward acquiring Twitter last year, some of the communications duties fell to Alex Spiro, a lawyer best known for representing Jay-Z.

From New York Times • Feb. 6, 2023

That’s a conflict the show is sidling up to crabwise, and I really do wonder what will happen if and when it finally confronts machismo head-on.

From Slate • Feb. 14, 2019

Lehman says that in 1986, with Mikhail Gorbachev inching crabwise toward acknowledging the Soviet Union’s terminal sclerosis, “the most delicate period of the Reagan naval strategy began.”

From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2018

It does not mean anything to “ant” or to “beetle” though you can certainly crab along or move crabwise.

From Scientific American • Jun. 14, 2012

He turned his head against the driving wind and started off crabwise.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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