often attributive
1
plural crabs also crab
: any of numerous chiefly marine broadly built decapod crustaceans:
a
: any of an infraorder (Brachyura) with a short broad usually flattened carapace, a small abdomen that curls forward beneath the body, short antennae, and the anterior pair of limbs modified as grasping pincers
b
: any of various crustaceans of an infraorder (Anomura) resembling true crabs in the more or less reduced condition of the abdomen
2
capitalized
: cancer sense 1
3
crabs plural
: infestation with crab lice
4
: the angular difference between an aircraft's course and the heading necessary to make that course in the presence of a crosswind
crabbed; crabbing
1
: to fish for crabs
2
a(1)
: to move sideways indirectly or diagonally
(2)
: to crab an airplane
b
: to scuttle or scurry sideways
1
: to cause to move sideways or in an indirect or diagonal manner
specifically
: to head (an airplane) into a crosswind to counteract drift
2
: to subject to crabbing
crabbed; crabbing
1
: to make sullen : sour
old age has crabbed his nature
2
: to complain about peevishly
Synonyms
Noun (3)
- bear
- bellyacher
- complainer
- crank
- croaker
- crosspatch
- curmudgeon
- fusser
- griper
- grouch
- grouser
- growler
- grumbler
- grump
- murmurer
- mutterer
- sourpuss
- whiner
Verb (2)
Examples of crab in a Sentence
Noun (3)
you're always such a crab in the morning!
Verb (2)
their two-year-old whined and crabbed for the whole car trip
crabbed the blossoming romance by becoming moody and demanding
Recent Examples on the Web
Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
The 2020 crabbing season was officially set to begin Dec. 23, but price negotiations between crab fleets and seafood processors delayed the start until early January 2021.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Fishermen brought up the first crab pots on Jan. 18, 2024.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for crab 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The vessel carried three adults and three minors who had been out crabbing, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
The 2020 crabbing season was officially set to begin Dec. 23, but price negotiations between crab fleets and seafood processors delayed the start until early January 2021.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024
Noun
In winter, humpback and blue whales are migrating past the coast which puts them at danger of entanglement in commercial crab fishing gear.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Fishermen brought up the first crab pots on Jan. 18, 2024.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for crab
Dictionary Entries Near crab
Cite this Entry
“Crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crab. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crab
1 of 4 noun1
: any of various crustaceans with a short broad usually flattened shell of chitin, a small abdomen curled forward beneath the body, and a front pair of limbs with strong pincers
also
: any of various other crustaceans resembling the true crabs in having an abdomen much reduced in size
2
capitalized
: cancer sense 1
3
: any of various machines for raising or hauling heavy weights
4
plural
: the state of being infested with crab lice
crab
2 of 4 verb
crabbed; crabbing
: to fish for crabs
crabber
noun
crab
4 of 4 noun1
2
: a sour ill-tempered person
Medical Definition
crab
noun1
: any of a tribe (Brachyura) of chiefly marine crustaceans with a short broad usually flattened carapace, a small abdomen that curls forward beneath the body, short antennae, and the anterior pair of limbs modified as grasping pincers
2
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