crawfish

1 of 2

noun

craw·​fish ˈkrȯ-ˌfish How to pronounce crawfish (audio)

crawfish

2 of 2

verb

crawfished; crawfishing; crawfishes

intransitive verb

: to retreat from a position : back out
I crawfished as fast as I couldMark Twain

Examples of crawfish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Special events are held throughout the year and include live music, crawfish boils, and community walks. Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 16 Dec. 2024 Miles of strip malls offer thrilling meals from all over the world: taco shops; dim-sum palaces; Indian and Pakistani banquet halls; Vietnamese restaurants that specialize in banh mi, or pho, or borrow Cajun traditions like crawfish boils. Hannah Goldfield, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024 He was issued a civil citation for shoplifting on April 29, 2014, after allegedly walking out of a Tallahassee, Florida, supermarket without paying for $32 worth of crab legs and crawfish. Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 27 Nov. 2024 The crawfish kept us floating, kept the cash flow going. Marley Malenfant, Austin American-Statesman, 8 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for crawfish 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

by folk etymology from Middle English crevis, kraveys

First Known Use

Noun

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crawfish was in 1624

Dictionary Entries Near crawfish

Cite this Entry

“Crawfish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crawfish. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

crawfish

noun
craw·​fish
ˈkrȯ-ˌfish

More from Merriam-Webster on crawfish

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