crab

KRAB/kɹæb/

Pluralcrabs

Verbcrabs, crabbing, crabbed

28 meanings of crab

Practice

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A sea or shore animal with a hard shell, ten legs and two large claws.
Like a small armored animal that walks sideways and pinches with two claws.
A crab scuttled sideways across the wet sand.
We watched a small crab dig into the mud beside the rocks.
UsageSay a crab for the animal, but just crab for the food.
2
seafood meatnoununcountable
The meat from inside a crab, eaten as food.
We ordered crab with melted butter for dinner.
She made little sandwiches filled with fresh crab.
Note
3
grumpy personnouncountable or uncountable
A person who is often grumpy and easily annoyed.
Don't be such a crab. We're only teasing you.
My brother is a real crab before he eats breakfast.
UsageYou can also say someone is crabby.
Similargrouch, grump, crank, curmudgeon
4
go fishingverbintransitive
To catch crabs, usually with bait, lines, or nets.
We went down to the dock to crab all afternoon.
The kids love to crab with chicken necks tied to string.
UsagePeople often say go crabbing.
5
horseshoe shellnouncountable or uncountable
A sea animal with a hard, dome-shaped shell and a long, spiky tail, not a true crab.
Like a helmet with legs and a long tail dragging behind it.
A crab with a smooth, dome-shaped shell and a long, stiff tail crawled up the sand.
The crab had a smooth, round shell and a long, spiky tail.
6
nouncountable
A small, sour wild apple, or the tree it grows on.
Like an apple, but much smaller and very sour.
We planted a flowering crab in the front yard for its pink spring blossoms.
In the fall, the crab in our yard drops tiny sour apples.
UsageMost people say crab apple.
Note

Less common meanings

7
pubic licenouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
A case of tiny insects living in the hair around the private parts.
He was mortified to learn he had caught crabs from the shared bunk.
The clinic gave her a lotion to clear up the crabs.
UsageUse the plural: catch crabs, have crabs.
8
verbintransitive
To complain in a grumpy way.
He began to crab about the long wait.
They always crab when chores pile up.
UsageSay crab about something.
Similarcomplain, grumble, gripe, whine, grouse
Note
9
verbintransitive
To move sideways, like a crab.
The boat began to crab across the fast current.
In strong gusts the kite will crab to one side.
UsageOften crab sideways or crab across something.
10
creep lowverbintransitive
To move while staying low and holding on to surfaces.
Like a spider creeping flat against a wall.
The climbers had to crab along the narrow ledge.
He crabbed along the narrow ledge, pressed flat against the rock.
UsageOften crab your way along something.
Similarcreep, crawl, scramble, scuttle
Note
11
bad oar strokenouncountable or uncountable
In rowing, a mistake where the oar gets stuck in the water and cannot be pulled out cleanly.
Like an oar suddenly getting stuck and yanked the wrong way.
She caught a crab and nearly slid off her seat.
One bad crab can slow the whole crew.
UsageSay catch a crab.
Note
12
nose angle (flying)noununcountable
In flying, the angle a plane's nose is turned into the wind so it can still land straight.
Like turning your body a little into the wind so you still walk straight toward a door.
The strong crosswind forced the pilot to hold a large crab on the approach.
A small crab into the wind kept the plane on course.
Note
13
fly into windverbtransitive
In flying, to angle a plane sideways into the wind so it keeps moving in a straight line.
The pilot had to crab the glider into the gusty wind.
Learn to crab the plane when the wind blows across the runway.
Note
14
verbrareintransitive
To back out of a plan or promise.
Similarwithdraw, renege
Note
15
noundatedcountable or uncountable
An unsold book sent back to the company that published it.
Similarreturn
Note
16
nouncolloquial
Informal short form of carabiner: a metal ring that opens on one side, used by climbers to clip on ropes.
17
verbslangUS
To spoil something so it no longer works or succeeds.
‘Just so we understand each other,’ he said after a pause. ‘If you crab this case, you'll be in a jam.’
1940, Raymond Chandler, Farewell
18
nounrare
A hidden fault in something that looks fine but is hard to use.
19
nounobsolete
A heavy stick or club made from crab-tree wood.
20
noun
A machine with a turning drum used to lift or pull heavy things.
21
nounslang
In card games, the playing card that has the rank of three.
22
noun
A machine that pulls yarn tight while people make rope.
23
nounrare
A claw-shaped part that holds a small movable machine in place.
24
nounrare
A South American tree, known to scientists as Carapa guianensis.
25
verbobsolete
In early warplanes, to fly a bit sideways toward an enemy so the guns could hit it.
26
verbobsolete
To make someone grumpy or bad-tempered.
27
verbdialectalBritish
To hit someone with a heavy stick.
28
verbobsolete
To make someone feel hurt or angry by what you say.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of crab apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–5, 7–15

It comes from Old English "crabba," from an old Germanic root meaning "to scratch."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Crab comes from Old English crabba. en.wiktionary.org
The proposed Germanic verbal ancestor *krabbōną means “to scratch.” en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 6

It comes from Middle English "crabbe," meaning "wild apple," a word of Germanic origin.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Crab in the apple sense comes from Middle English crabbe, meaning wild apple. en.wiktionary.org
The word is of Germanic origin. en.wiktionary.org