noun
1.
any decapod crustacean of the suborder Brachyura, having the eyes on short stalks and a short, broad, more or less flattened body, the abdomen being small and folded under the thorax.
2.
any of various other crustaceans, as the hermit crab, or other animals, as the horseshoe crab, resembling the true crabs.
3.
( initial capital letter ) Astronomy, Astrology. the zodiacal constellation or sign Cancer.
4.
( initial capital letter ) Astronomy. the Crab Nebula.
5.
any of various mechanical contrivances for hoisting or pulling.
6.
Aeronautics. the maneuver of crabbing.
7.
8.
verb (used without object)
9.
to catch or attempt to catch crabs.
10.
to move sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt bursts of speed; scuttle.
11.
Aeronautics. (of an aircraft) to head partly into the wind to compensate for drift.
12.
Nautical. to drift or advance with some movement sideways, especially when under tow.
00:10
Crab
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to bark; yelp. |
verb (used with object)
Idioms 13.
to move (a vehicle or object) sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt movements.
14.
Aeronautics. to head (an aircraft) partly into the wind to compensate for drift.
15.
catch a crab, to make a faulty stroke in rowing, so that the oar strikes the water forcibly on the backstroke.
Origin:
before 1000; Middle English crabbe, Old English crabba; cognate with Dutch krab, Old Norse krabbi; akin to German Krebs
before 1000; Middle English crabbe, Old English crabba; cognate with Dutch krab, Old Norse krabbi; akin to German Krebs
Related forms
crab·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
a crab apple fruit or tree.
noun
1.
Informal. an ill-tempered or grouchy person.
verb (used without object)
2.
Informal. to find fault; complain.
3.
(of hawks) to claw each other.
verb (used with object)
4.
Informal. to find fault with.
5.
to make ill-tempered or grouchy; embitter.
6.
(of a hawk) to claw (another hawk).
7.
Slang. to spoil.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To crab
Collins
World English Dictionary
crab1 (kræb) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | fiddler crab soft-shell crab pea crab See also oyster crab any chiefly marine decapod crustacean of the genus Cancer and related genera (section Brachyura), having a broad flattened carapace covering the cephalothorax, beneath which is folded the abdomen. The first pair of limbs are modified as pincersRelated: cancroid |
| 2. | any of various similar or related arthropods, such as the hermit crab and horseshoe crab |
| 3. | short for crab louse |
| 4. | a manoeuvre in which an aircraft flies slightly into the crosswind to compensate for drift |
| 5. | a mechanical lifting device, esp the travelling hoist of a gantry crane |
| 6. | wrestling See Boston crab |
| 7. | rowing catch a crab to make a stroke in which the oar either misses the water or digs too deeply, causing the rower to fall backwards |
| —vb , crabs, crabbing, crabbed | |
| 8. | (intr) to hunt or catch crabs |
| 9. | (tr) to fly (an aircraft) slightly into a crosswind to compensate for drift |
| 10. | (intr) nautical to move forwards with a slight sideways motion, as to overcome an offsetting current |
| 11. | (intr) to move sideways |
| Related: cancroid | |
| [Old English crabba; related to Old Norse krabbi, Old High German krebiz crab, Dutch krabben to scratch] | |
| crab2 (kræb) | |
| —vb , crabs, crabbing, crabbed | |
| 1. | (intr) to find fault; grumble |
| 2. | chiefly (US) (tr) to spoil (esp in the phrase crab someone's act) |
| —n | |
| 3. | an irritable person |
| 4. | (Austral) draw the crabs to attract unwelcome attention |
| [C16: probably back formation from | |
| crab3 (kræb) | |
| —n | |
| short for crab apple | |
| [C15: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare Swedish skrabbe crab apple] | |
| Crab (kræb) | |
| —n | |
| the Crab the constellation Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
crab
O.E. crabba, from a general Gmc. root (cf. Low Ger. krabben "to scratch, claw"). The constellation name is attested in Eng. from c.1000; the Crab Nebula (1868), however, is in Taurus, and is so called for its shape. Crab "fruit of the wild apple tree" (early 15c.) may be from unrelated Scandinavian scrab,
of obscure origin. The combination of "bad-tempered, combative" and "sour" in the two words naturally yielded a meaning of "complain irritably," which is pre-1400. Crabgrass is c.1600, originally a marine grass of salt marshes; modern meaning is from 1743.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
crab definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
To protect its soft abdomen, each crab carries its house around, usually an abandoned gastropod shell.
He said that it was always found on the same supper table as her delectable crab cakes.
Sprinkle with half the cheese, then crab meat and onion.
He thinks as a crab thinks, effecting similar choices.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
