fiddler crab

noun

: any of several genera (such as Austruca, Leptuca, or Uca) of burrowing crabs in which the male has one claw that is greatly enlarged

Illustration of fiddler crab

Illustration of fiddler crab

Examples of fiddler crab in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
It can often be seen walking slowly along the shore, poking around for fiddler crabs, among the species’ favored prey. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2025 In one of the first scenes, Roz learns to scrabble up a cliff by copying the movements of a fiddler crab (which is immediately swiped by a seagull). Elvia Wilk, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2024 For example, helicopters regularly flying over the study site created vibrations so strong that researchers were unable to record the fiddler crabs’ drumming and had to pause their experiment. Kiley Price, Scientific American, 16 Apr. 2024 Multigenerational trips where families rent houses are popular here, too, and the biggest nightlife activity is stargazing under the unpolluted sky and looking for fiddler crabs on the beach. Trudy Haywood Saunders, Travel + Leisure, 26 Mar. 2024 The scuttle of fiddler crabs no longer accompanies walks to a nearby creek. James Pollard, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Aug. 2023 When approached by a potential mate, the male fiddler crab begins to wave its large claw up and down. Discover Magazine, 29 June 2010 See a small fiddler crab scuttling along a log; a skink's dark and half-closed eye; a tiny green buffalo treehopper clinging, upside-down, to a leaf; a Brazilian verbena flower so small that dozens could fit on a quarter. Star Tribune, 29 June 2021 Studies ranged from developing an algorithm to predict oil slicks when satellite images aren’t available, to a way of using fiddler crabs and snails to monitor the health of Louisiana salt marshes. Eric Niiler, Wired, 22 Apr. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1843, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fiddler crab was in 1843

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Cite this Entry

“Fiddler crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fiddler%20crab. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

fiddler crab

noun
: a burrowing crab of which the male has one claw much larger than the other

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