as in bears
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 complains
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 damages
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
crabbed the blossoming romance by becoming moody and demanding
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of crabs
Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 31 Dec. 2025
The divers found a swath of ocean populated by weird and wild creatures, from delicate corals and shimmering worms to spiky sea slugs and hairy crabs.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Once the crabs were out, the relief was immediate, but the unease lingered.
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025
The soft-shell crabs and the sunsets alone make Tangier well worth a visit.
—Npr Staff, NPR, 18 Dec. 2025
Unlike typical, flat concrete seawalls, living seawalls can be designed to look like mangrove roots, which provide small spaces for crabs and fish to live, promotes biodiversity and absorbs some of the impact from storm surges and strong waves.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 17 Dec. 2025
From microbes to crabs to people, all living things have their own itches to scratch.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 15 Dec. 2025
Just a lot of crabs in the barrel.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Nov. 2025
And here, at last, near some crabs locked in a coital embrace, was a fledgling oyster.
—Ben McGrath, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Noun
On top of this lobster heist that’s grabbing headlines, a load of crabs being shipped from a cold storage facility in Massachusetts also went missing on December 2, The Boston Globe reported.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabs
Noun
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There are myriad extraordinary animal phenomena in the natural world, from the running of the salmon to the months-long hibernation of bears.—
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In interviews with several analysts, bulls and bears agreed that CoreWeave’s fundamentals, as reflected in its filings, don’t currently add up.—
Verb
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At one point, Hujar complains about a call from the artist Ed Baynard.—
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The president calls his wife and complains about the sole of his shoe before heading off to a girls’ basketball event with Angel Reese.—
Verb
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For people with celiac disease, gluten triggers an autoimmune response that damages the small intestine.—
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Scientists think that chronic inflammation damages the brain and increases the risk of dementia.—
Noun
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If family needs cause drama, set kind boundaries and explain them to any complainers.—
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The faculty experience has been that administrations often side with the complainers.—
Verb
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Left to die, breathless and alone, Invisigal chokes while Robert screams from the other end of the comms.—
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That stretch screams points, and the wise move might be to start planning your route to Salah.—
Verb
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Deadly holiday weekend mars broad crime drop The back-and-forth followed a Labor Day weekend of deadly violence in Chicago worse than in the previous two years, with seven people shot to death, according to preliminary Chicago Police Department reports.—
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Valuing a project at cost of production rather than value in an arm’s length sale—common in all economic statistics—especially mars Chinese data.—
Verb
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Shannon moans right about the time Jenn walks out to see what the commotion is all about.—
Verb
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California law already criminalizes unsafe gun storage in certain situations, including when a child accesses a firearm and injures or kills someone.—
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In self-defense, Franck's group injures one of the attackers.—
Cite this Entry
“Crabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabs. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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