CRABS Synonyms: 199 Similar and Opposite Words

crabs 1 of 2

noun

plural of crab

as in bears

an irritable and complaining person you're always such a crab in the morning!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

crabs

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of crab

as in complains

to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely their two-year-old whined and crabbed for the whole car trip

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in damages

to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of crabbed the blossoming romance by becoming moody and demanding

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of crabs

Noun

Purdue University told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the crabs have not caused any additional challenges for the crew. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 That contact was evident during the AP’s trip aboard the F/V Progress, when Tanner crabs and basket stars — animals that live on the seafloor — came up in the net. — Annika Hammerschlag, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026 Tiny creatures like crabs and ants traveled huge distances, encountering all sorts of dangers—driven by the instinct to lay eggs and reproduce at any cost. — Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026 Earlier this year, more than a hundred thousand bots joined a social network, Moltbook, and, within seventy-two hours, created a religion called Crustafarianism, which came to involve the worship of crabs. — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026 Once the crabs are caught, attendees get the chance to visit a local restaurant with your catch and taste amazing wines. — Jess Feldman, Travel + Leisure, 14 Sep. 2026 Today, its mangroves buffer Odisha’s vulnerable coastline against frequent cyclones and provide breeding grounds for fish, prawns, and crabs that sustain thousands of fisher families. — Kalpana Sunder, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2026 Zago now pulls up cages full of crabs from his traditional fishing cabin built on stilts over the Scardovari lagoon in the Veneto region. — ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabs

Noun

And Winnie-the-Pooh continues to sit, in a thoughtful sort of way, which is what very old bears in very nice glass cases mostly do.

— STEVE HENDRIX THE WASHINGTON POST, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
His high-fashion clowns, bears and other quirks always deliver.

— Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of bears

Verb

Her boyfriend Tom Arnold becomes a writer/producer and complains that someone there stole his love letters and sold out his steamy relationship with Roseanne to the National Enquirer.

— Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Parent complains about the circumstances Lechner sent an email to the athletic director two days later asking whether a transgender student had participated in the game, and whether that student had access to the same locker room as his daughter.

— Paula Wethington, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of complains

Verb

Writing strips out the reactive tone that damages trust and forces people to engage with the actual argument instead of the way it was said.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The condition, in which reduced blood flow damages the optic nerve, can cause sudden and permanent vision loss.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of damages

Noun

Are they deluded into thinking that the complainers are just a squeaky wheel minority and the majority of fans are happy with it?

— Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 13 July 2026
However, the Lakers are complainers to begin with and have always gotten a favorable whistle.

— David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026

Definition of complainers

Verb

Set the scene The Homestead screams quirky, artful, and vintage yet restored—capturing a whimsical, fairytale ambiance embellished with hints of Southern charm.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
The issue, of course, stems from the sound of rider screams from the coaster drifting into the residential area.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of screams

Verb

Especially the guy who bangs a wrecking ball against the historic East Wing to make room for an incongruous ballroom monstrosity, who mars the sacred Oval Office with gold glitter and paves over the lovely Rose Garden.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Jacob Whitehead Homophobic chant mars Mexico’s win Before the World Cup, the Mexican football federation launched a campaign that featured the heroes of the country’s 1986 World Cup side.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Definition of mars

Noun

Many spent their days suspended from steel cables, raised and lowered along the mountainside by hand cranks.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026
In 2022, a group calling itself the America First SOS Coalition endorsed a slate of cranks and quacks who ran for secretary of state in 14 states, including the presidential battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Wisconsin.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Definition of cranks

Verb

Sam makes a production out of teasing them, mock-reaching for various items on the set as the whole group moans and wails in distress.

— Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026
Endo is the sixth choice midfielder and someone who never moans about his place in the pecking order.

— James Pearce, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of moans

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crabby

crabs

crabstick

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“Crabs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabs. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of crabs

noun

verb

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