crabbing
- 1Catching crabs for fun or for food, often near a shore or dock.
Like fishing, but you catch crabs instead of fish.
We went crabbing off the old pier all afternoon.
Crabbing is a popular weekend pastime along the bay.
- 2Present participle of crab. Use this form for something happening right now.
He was crabbing about the long line at the store.
The kids kept crabbing at each other in the back seat.
Note
- 3Petty arguing and complaining back and forth between people.
Like two kids arguing over small things again and again.
There was constant crabbing between the two departments.
I'm tired of all the crabbing at home over little chores.
Similarbickering, squabbling, quarreling, wrangling
- 4A way of cleaning cloth by passing it between rollers in a machine.
Like running fabric through a washer's rollers to clean it.
The mill foreman checked each bolt of cloth after crabbing.
Crabbing removed the grease before the wool could be dyed.
Similarscouring
Note
Less common meaning
- 5When two trained hawks attack and fight each other.
Like two pet birds fighting over the same perch.
The falconer separated the birds before their crabbing could draw blood.
Two hawks flown too close risked crabbing in midair.
Note
Showing meanings only.
crabbing is a form of crab
crab, verb: To catch crabs, usually with bait, lines, or nets. Full entry
- Spelling
- crab → crabbing: double the b, add -ing
Practice
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