Crab — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈkrab/

Meaning & Definition of Crab

Crab (noun)

  1. any of numerous chiefly marine broadly built decapod crustaceans:
  2. any of an infraorder (Brachyura) with a short broad usually flattened carapace, a small abdomen that curls forward beneath the body, short antennae, and the anterior pair of limbs modified as grasping pincers
  3. any of various crustaceans of an infraorder (Anomura) resembling true crabs in the more or less reduced condition of the abdomen
  4. crab apple
  5. an ill-tempered person, grouch

Crab (verb)

  1. to fish for crabs
  2. to move sideways indirectly or diagonally
  3. to crab an airplane
  4. to make sullen, sour
  5. to complain about peevishly
  6. spoil, ruin

Crab (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an irritable and complaining person

    "you're always such a crab in the morning!"

    similar: bear, bellyacher, complainer, crank, crosspatch, curmudgeon, fusser, griper, grouch, grouser, growler, grumbler, grump, murmurer, mutterer, sourpuss, whiner
    related: hunks, malcontent, sorehead, grinch, killjoy, party pooper, spoilsport, defeatist, pessimist, faultfinder, kicker, nagger, nitpicker, objector, quibbler, repiner, crock (slang), hypochondriac
    near: optimist, Pollyanna, happy camper

Crab (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely

    "their two-year-old whined and crabbed for the whole car trip"

    similar: beef, bellyache, bitch, bleat, carp, caterwaul, complain, croak, fuss, gripe, grizzle, grouch, grouse, growl, grumble, grump, holler, inveigh, keen, kick, kvetch, maunder (chiefly British), moan, murmur, mutter, nag, repine, scream, squawk, squeal, wail, whimper, whine, whinge (British), yammer, yawp, yowl, kick up a fuss
    related: object (to), protest, quarrel (with), cavil, quibble, fret, stew, worry, blubber, cry, sob, bemoan, bewail, deplore, lament
    opposite: crow, delight, rejoice
    near: accept, bear, countenance, endure, take, tolerate, applaud, cheer, commend

  2. to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of

    "crabbed the blossoming romance by becoming moody and demanding"

    similar: blemish, bloody, break, compromise, cripple, cross (up), damage, deface, disfigure, endamage, flaw, harm, hurt, impair, injure, mar, spoil, vitiate
    related: deteriorate, enervate, enfeeble, undermine, weaken, erode, scour, wash out, wear (away), blight, tarnish, dent, ding, dint, botch, gum (up), queer, lacerate, wound, disable, hamstring, lame, maim, mangle, mutilate, torment, torture, annihilate, bang up, bash, batter, clobber, crush, dash, decimate, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, do in, pulverize, raze, ruin, scourge, shatter, smash, tear down, total, waste, wipe out, wreck
    opposite: doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp
    near: cure, heal, help, rectify, rehabilitate, remedy, edit, remodel, revise, ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, refine

Related Entry: Catch (verb)

Catch is a different word from Crab. The synonyms below are for catch, not for crab.

  1. to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly

    "we tried to catch the kitten before she could sneak out the door"

    similar: bag, capture, collar, cop (slang), corral, get, glom, grab, grapple, hook, land, nab, nail, net, nobble (British slang), rap, seize, snag, snap (up), snare, snatch, trap, take hold (of)
    related: glove, halter, lasso, rope, apprehend, arrest, detain, bay, corner, clasp, clutch, fasten (on), fist, grasp, grip, hold, latch (on or onto), secure, rend, wrest, enmesh, ensnare, entangle, entrap, mesh, abduct, kidnap, spirit (away or off)
    opposite: miss
    near: discharge, free, liberate, release, drop, loosen, unhand

  2. to become affected with (a disease or disorder)

    "you'll catch the flu for sure if you don't get a shot"

    similar: come down (with), contract, get, go down (with) (chiefly British), sicken (with), take
    related: break out (with), die (from), succumb (to), fail, languish, sink, waste (away), weaken, wilt, wither, worsen
    near: come back, gain, heal, mend, recoup, recover, recuperate, snap back, rally, rebound, recover (from), shake (off)

  3. to bring (something) to a standstill

    "I caught myself just as I was about to step into the freshly poured concrete"

    similar: arrest, bring up, check, draw up, fetch up, halt, hold up, pull up, stall, stay, still, stop
    related: baffle, balk, block, blockade, bottleneck, clog, dam, detain, hinder, hold, hold back, impede, obstruct, snag, stem, conclude, cut off, end, terminate, call, discontinue, suspend, choke off, rein (in), repress, squash, squelch, stanch, stunt, suppress, turn back
    near: carry on, continue, follow through (with), keep (on), keep up, persist, run on, advance, fare, go along, march, move, proceed, progress, wend, actuate, budge, drive, goad, impel, propel, push, spur, stir

  4. to put securely in place or in a desired position

    "caught back her hair with a barrette"

    similar: anchor, clamp, fasten, fix, hitch, moor, secure, set
    related: embed, entrench, implant, ingrain, lodge, stuff, wedge
    opposite: loose, loosen, unfasten, unfix, unloose, unloosen
    near: extract, prize, pry, pull, root (out), tear (out), uproot, wrest, yank

  5. to have a clear idea of

    "I didn't catch the point you were making about our nation's foreign policy"

    similar: appreciate, apprehend, assimilate, behold, catch on (to), cognize, compass, comprehend, conceive, cotton (to or on to), decipher, decode, dig, discern, get, grasp, grok, intuit, know, make, make out, perceive, recognize, register, savvy, see, seize, sense, tumble (to), twig, understand, pick up on
    related: absorb, digest, take in, realize, fathom, penetrate, pierce
    opposite: miss
    near: misapprehend, misconceive, misconstrue, misinterpret, misperceive, misread, mistake, misunderstand

  6. to cause to believe what is untrue

    "a number of media outlets were caught by the woman's hard-luck story"

    similar: bamboozle, beguile, bluff, buffalo, burn, con, cozen, deceive, delude, dupe, fake out, fool, gaff, gammon, gull, have, have on (chiefly British), hoax, hoodwink, hornswoggle, humbug, juggle, misguide, misinform, mislead, snooker, snow, spoof, string along, suck in, sucker, take in, trick, do a number on, lead one down the garden path, pull one's leg, pull the wool over one's eyes
    related: kid, put on, tease, bleed, cheat, chisel, defraud, diddle, euchre, fleece, flimflam, hustle, mulct, rook, shortchange, skin, squeeze, stick, sting, swindle
    opposite: undeceive
    near: debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask, disclose, divulge, tell, unveil, disabuse, disenchant, disillusion

  7. to come upon face-to-face or as if face-to-face

    "I'll catch you at the library tomorrow"

    similar: chance (upon), encounter, happen (upon), meet, stumble (upon), bump into, cross paths (with), run across, run into, run upon
    related: accost, confront, face, greet, salute, collide (with), crash (into), crisscross, cross, pass, hit (upon), light (upon), tumble (to), reencounter, remeet
    near: avoid, dodge, duck, elude, escape, evade, shake, shun

  8. to make note of (something) through the use of one's eyes

    "I looked out the window just in time to catch the neighbor's dog digging up my flower bed"

    similar: behold, descry, discern, distinguish, espy, eye, look (at), note, notice, observe, perceive, regard, remark, see, sight, spot, spy, view, witness, get a load of (slang), lay eyes on, set eyes on
    related: identify, make out, pick out, pick up, attend (to), consider, heed, mark, mind, study, watch, examine, inspect, scan, scrutinize, survey, glance (at), glimpse, peer (at)
    near: disregard, ignore, neglect, overpass, pass over, miss, overlook

  9. to move fast enough to get even with

    "despite the suspect's considerable lead, the fleet-footed police officer was able to catch him and make an arrest"

    similar: catch up (with), overhaul, overtake
    related: chase, pursue, gain, reach, pass, surpass
    near: fall short

Related Entry: Fiddle (around) (verb)

Fiddle (around) is a different word from Crab. The synonyms below are for fiddle (around), not for crab.

  1. to spend time in aimless activity

    "we spent the snow day just fiddling around"

    similar: doodle, fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang about (British), kick around, mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle
    related: dally, dawdle, dillydally, hang (around or out), idle, loaf, loll, lounge, clown (around), horse around, diddle (with), tinker
    near: buckle (down), knuckle down, set (to), settle (down)

Related Entry: Fiddle (with) (verb)

Fiddle (with) is a different word from Crab. The synonyms below are for fiddle (with), not for crab.

  1. to handle thoughtlessly, ignorantly, or mischievously

    "I could tell that someone had been fiddling with the carefully set controls on my entertainment system"

    similar: diddle (with), fool (with), mess (with), monkey (with), play (with), tamper (with), tinker (with), toy (with), twiddle (with)
    related: abuse, alter, doctor, manhandle, manipulate, mistreat, misuse, butt in, interfere, intrude, meddle, muck (about or around)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Crab

The most common words with a similar meaning to Crab:

Chiefly British: maunder
British: whinge
bear, bellyacher, complainer, crank, crosspatch, curmudgeon, fusser, griper, grouch, grouser, growler, grumbler, grump, murmurer, mutterer, sourpuss, whiner, beef, bellyache, bitch, bleat, carp, caterwaul, complain, croak, fuss, gripe, grizzle, grouse, growl, grumble, holler, inveigh, keen, kick, kvetch, moan, murmur, mutter, nag

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Crab

Words with the opposite meaning of Crab:

crow, delight, rejoice, doctor, fix, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair, revamp

Related Words for Crab

hunks, malcontent, sorehead, grinch, killjoy, party pooper, spoilsport, defeatist, pessimist, faultfinder, kicker, nagger, nitpicker, objector, quibbler, repiner, crock, hypochondriac, object (to), protest, quarrel (with), cavil, quibble, fret, stew, worry, blubber, cry, sob, bemoan

Near Antonyms of Crab

optimist, Pollyanna, happy camper, accept, bear, countenance, endure, take, tolerate, applaud, cheer, commend, cure, heal, help, rectify, rehabilitate, remedy, edit, remodel, revise, ameliorate, better, enhance, enrich, improve, meliorate, perfect, refine

Word Forms of Crab

Inflections: crabbed, crabbing

Origin & Etymology of Crab

Middle English crabbe, from Old English crabba; akin to Old High German krebiz crab and perhaps to Old English ceorfan to carve carve

First known use: before 12th century

Words & Phrases Containing Crab

crab apple, crab-eating macaque, crab louse, crab rangoon, crab spider

Frequently Asked Questions about Crab

What does "Crab" mean?

"Crab" means any of numerous chiefly marine broadly built decapod crustaceans:. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: any of numerous chiefly marine broadly built decapod crustaceans:. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Crab"?

Other words for "Crab" include bear, bellyacher, complainer, crank, crosspatch, curmudgeon, fusser and griper. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Crab" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Crab"?

There are 155 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Crab". Common alternatives include bear, bellyacher, complainer, crank, crosspatch, curmudgeon, fusser, griper, grouch and grouser.

What is the opposite of "Crab"?

Antonyms of "Crab" include crow, delight, rejoice, doctor, fix, mend, patch and rebuild. Near antonyms include optimist, Pollyanna, happy camper and accept.

How do you use "Crab" in a sentence?

Examples of "Crab" in a sentence: "you're always such a crab in the morning!"; "their two-year-old whined and crabbed for the whole car trip"; "crabbed the blossoming romance by becoming moody and demanding".

Is "Crab" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Crab" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Crab"?

"Crab" is pronounced /ˈkrab/.

What is the origin of the word "Crab"?

"Crab" comes from Middle English crabbe, from Old English crabba; akin to Old High German krebiz crab and perhaps to Old English ceorfan to carve carve. First known use: before 12th century.