Crab

/kɹæb/ · noun

Meaning

Any crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having five pairs of legs, the foremost of which are in the form of claws, and a carapace..

Definitions by Sense

1. Any crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having five pairs of legs, the foremost of which are in the form of claws, and a carapace.
2. (uncountable) The meat of this crustacean, served as food; crabmeat.
3. Various other animals that resemble true crabs:
4. A bad-tempered person.
5. (in plural crabs, informal) An infestation of pubic lice (Pthirus pubis).
6. (uncountable, aviation) Ellipsis of crab angle.
7. (poker slang) A playing card with the rank of three.
8. (rowing) A position in rowing where the oar is pushed under the rigger by the force of the water.

Example Sentences

But Richmond[…]appeared to lose himself in his own reflections. Some pickled crab, which he had not touched, had been removed with a damson pie; and his sister saw[…]that he had eaten no more than a spoonful of that either.

She so obviously enjoyed every second of the concert that only the most stubborn crab could not have been warmed by her charm.

Although crabs themselves are an easily treated inconvenience, the patient and his partner(s) clearly run major STD risks.

The pilot had to hold fifteen degrees of crab during the approach to keep her plane from getting blown off the localizer course.

-- "I suppose you wouldn't like to do a locum for a month on the South coast? Three guineas a week with board and lodging." -- "I wouldn't mind," said Philip. -- "It's at Farnley, in Dorsetshire. Doctor South. You'd have to go down at once; his assistant has developed mumps. I believe it's a very pleasant place." There was something in the secretary's manner that puzzled Philip. It was a little doubtful. -- "What's the crab in it?" he asked.

Arrested by the low price of another “desirable residence”, I asked “What's the crab?” The agent assured me that there was no crab. I fell in love with this house at sight. Happily, I discovered that it was reputed to be haunted.

[…] the unsold copies may be returned to the original publisher , at a period fixed upon between Christmas and Easter; these returned copies are technically called krebse or crabs, probably, from their walking backwards. […] A says to B, "I have had eight thousand dollars' worth of your publications, three thousand were crabs, that makes five thousand."

[…] unsold copies and settling the yearly accounts; while for the publisher begins the much dreaded season of "crabs," as […]

Synonyms for crab

Antonyms for crab

Related Words

Word Forms

• crabs
• crabbing
• crabbed

Usage Notes

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