shrimp

Formsshrimps, shrimping, shrimped

1. 1
   nouncountable or uncountable

   A small sea animal with a thin body, long legs, and feelers, often caught for food.

   Like a tiny version of a lobster, small enough to hold a few in your hand.

   A tiny shrimp darted backward across the sandy bottom.

   The bucket was full of shrimp after an hour of wading.

   Similarprawn

   Note
2. 2
   noununcountable

   The pink, soft meat of small sea crustaceans, cooked and eaten as food.

   She tossed the shrimp into the pan with garlic and butter.

   This salad has shrimp, avocado, and a squeeze of lime.

   Similarprawn

3. 3
   nounslangcountable or uncountable

   A person who is small, weak, or seen as not important.

   Like the littlest kid in class who everyone overlooks.

   Quit picking on him just because he's a shrimp.

   I was the shrimp of the team until I hit my growth spurt.

   Similarrunt, squirt, pipsqueak, shorty

   Oppositegiant

   Note
4. 4
   verbintransitive

   To go out and catch shrimp, usually using nets.

   Like going fishing, but for shrimp instead of fish.

   They shrimp along the coast every summer.

   We went out to shrimp before sunrise.

   Note
5. 5
   nounslangcountable or uncountable

   A crude word for a small penis.

   He got teased in the locker room for having a shrimp.

   She laughed and called him a shrimp after they hooked up.

   Similarmicropenis

   Note
6. 6
   nounslangcountable or uncountable

   A rude slang word for a woman seen as having a good body but an unattractive face.

   They dismissed her as a shrimp: great body, shame about the face.

   Behind the bar, the guys rated her a shrimp: nice figure, but not the face.

   Note
7. 7
   verbintransitive

   To get smaller by pulling in or drawing together.

   Like a wool sweater that gets smaller after a hot wash.

   The dried leaves shrimp in the heat of the afternoon.

   Wool can shrimp if you wash it in hot water.

   Similarshrink, contract, shrivel

   Oppositeexpand, swell

   Note

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