as in bear
an irritable and complaining person
you're always such a crab in the morning!
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to complain
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely
their two-year-old whined and crabbed for the whole car trip
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to damage
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
crabbed the blossoming romance by becoming moody and demanding
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crab
Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2026
From June to mid-October, visit the Beavertail Aquarium, located in the lighthouse's old foghorn house, with tanks that simulate the state’s shoreline environment and offer shellfish, crabs and fish to discover.
—Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
Michael Holtz, New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2025
Go crabbing, clamming, hiking, or mushroom foraging with a guide, head out for a fat-tire bike ride, or enjoy a beach bonfire, already set up for you, for the coziest way to end a day on the coast.
—Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crab
Noun
Look to the southern sky as darkness falls on March 27 to see the thickening form of the waxing gibbous moon glowing close to the stars of the Beehive Cluster (M44) at the heart of the constellation Cancer, the crab.
—Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2026
From June to mid-October, visit the Beavertail Aquarium, located in the lighthouse's old foghorn house, with tanks that simulate the state’s shoreline environment and offer shellfish, crabs and fish to discover.
—Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
Verb
He’s also thought about trying to get a job on a crabbing boat in Norway.
—Michael Holtz, New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2025
Go crabbing, clamming, hiking, or mushroom foraging with a guide, head out for a fat-tire bike ride, or enjoy a beach bonfire, already set up for you, for the coziest way to end a day on the coast.
—Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crab
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crab
Noun
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YumEarth makes organic lollipops, gummy bears and fruit snacks with no artificial dyes.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
30 Mar. 2026
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The walls disappeared into a forest of trees, where live monkeys and at least one bear lurked behind the trunks.—
Serena Turner,
Vanity Fair,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Afterward, a student in the audience complained to his parents that, at the event, the deaths of Palestinian civilians had been characterized as collateral damage—a regrettable but unavoidable consequence of the battle against Hamas.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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The driver and passenger in the BMW complained of pain.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In a social media post on Monday morning, Kuwait said a service building at a power generation and water desalination plant were damaged in an attack Sunday evening, killing one worker.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
30 Mar. 2026
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At least 12 residents have been displaced after a three-alarm fire heavily damaged five homes in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood, according to Pittsburgh Public Safety.—
Garrett Behanna,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The pervasive popularity of the show and its creator will be the reason the complainers have no voice.—
Rich Heldenfels,
Boston Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
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An energy vampire has bad body language, the complaining look on their face, the vocal complainer.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
8 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For families This hotel doesn’t scream family-friendly and there’s no kids’ menu in the restaurants.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 Apr. 2026
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Martens plans to scream, if not louder, than with more originality.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That night, Kane was injured, and Carsley tried to pick the boldest, most talented team possible, with Jude Bellingham nominally up front, and Foden, Palmer, Gordon and Bukayo Saka in, too.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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The conditions for the three people injured in the shooting wasn't immediately available.—
Siafa Lewis,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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These ideas have thrived through generations of cranks and propagandists and are now omnipresent.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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The upper shell lifted with a manual hydraulics crank to full-height camping form.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Or get ready for a lot of groaning and whining.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Mar. 2026
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With LeBron James buying into a supporting actor role, the Lakers are a legitimate threat because Doncic is more focused on scoring buckets than whining to officials.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Crab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crab. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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