spider crab

noun

: any of a family (Majidae) of crabs with extremely long legs and nearly triangular bodies which they often cover with kelp

Examples of spider 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.
Japanese spider crabs the size of Labrador retrievers stalk a whale skeleton. John Metcalfe, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2024 Octopi, spider crabs, urchins, and countless fish are already settling in. Terry Ward, TIME, 25 July 2024 Monterey is famous for its kelp forests and the unique marine life that thrives in that ecosystem, like sea otters, spider crabs, nudibranchs, massive sea stars, and sea lions. Outside Online, 24 July 2024 In our quest for Wild Wales, we were supposed to have been at the bottom of Cardigan Bay, snorkeling for spider crabs with James Lynch. Tom Vanderbilt, Travel + Leisure, 25 June 2024 In the deep, 13-foot-wide giant spider crabs are usually the predators themselves. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 25 Apr. 2024 Also on the menu were massive crab legs from Japanese spider crabs, bison burgers, ice cream and cheese straws. David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 7 May 2023 What is a Japanese spider crab? National Geographic, 16 Sep. 2020 In the depths of the Pacific Ocean lives the otherworldly Japanese spider crab. Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1710, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of spider crab was circa 1710

Dictionary Entries Near spider crab

Cite this Entry

“Spider crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spider%20crab. Accessed 25 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

spider crab

noun
: any of numerous crabs with very long legs and nearly triangular bodies

More from Merriam-Webster on spider crab

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