Crab (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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. Crab,
  4. any of various mechanical contrivances for hoisting or pulling.
  5. the maneuver of crabbing.
  6. the crab louse.
  7. crabs,
    • a losing throw, as two aces, in the game of hazard.
    • pediculosis.
verb (used without object), crabbed, crab·bing.
  1. to catch or attempt to catch crabs.
  2. to move sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt bursts of speed; scuttle.
  3. (of an aircraft) to head partly into the wind to compensate for drift.
  4. to drift or advance with some movement sideways, especially when under tow.
verb (used with object), crabbed, crab·bing.
  1. to move (a vehicle or object) sideways, diagonally, or obliquely, especially with short, abrupt movements.
  2. to head (an aircraft) partly into the wind to compensate for drift.
Idioms
  1. to make a faulty stroke in rowing, so that the oar strikes the water forcibly on the backstroke.
noun
  1. a crab apple fruit or tree.
noun
  1. an ill-tempered or grouchy person.
verb (used without object), crabbed, crab·bing.
  1. to find fault; complain.
  2. (of hawks) to claw each other.
verb (used with object), crabbed, crab·bing.
  1. to find fault with.
  2. to make ill-tempered or grouchy; embitter.
  3. (of a hawk) to claw (another hawk).
  4. to spoil.
noun
  1. 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 pincers
  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. to make a stroke in which the oar either misses the water or digs too deeply, causing the rower to fall backwards
verb crabs, crabbing or crabbed
  1. to hunt or catch crabs
  2. to fly (an aircraft) slightly into a crosswind to compensate for drift
  3. to move forwards with a slight sideways motion, as to overcome an offsetting current
  4. to move sideways
verb crabs, crabbing or crabbed
  1. to find fault; grumble
  2. to spoil (esp in the phrase crab someone's act)
noun
  1. an irritable person
  2. to attract unwelcome attention
noun
  1. short for crab apple
noun
  1. the constellation Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac
Crab (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

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