crabbing

verb

present participle of crab
1
as in complaining
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely their two-year-old whined and crabbed for the whole car trip

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in damaging
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

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 crabbing These include a Charleston crabbing expedition and culinary experience hosted by a T+L editor and a college football tailgate hosted by Southern Living Editor in Chief Sid Evans. — Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 20 Aug. 2026 Getting a crabbing license isn't easy, and Maryland limits the number to around 5,400 each year to protect the Chesapeake Bay's crab population, which declined between 2011 and 2023. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026 This is a wonderful time to enjoy the great outdoors — surfing and crabbing come to mind. — Ed Silverman, STAT, 17 July 2026 Northside Park, a 58-acre complex that includes pickleball courts, soccer fields, walking and biking trails, and a fishing and crabbing pier, is an ideal spot to stay active. — Katie Riley, Southern Living, 15 July 2026 Members gather on local piers to learn crabbing techniques, understand regulations and try their luck at bringing home fresh seafood. — Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 22 June 2026 As the crabbing season gains momentum, Maryland watermen are grappling with a surge in operational expenses, led by high fuel prices that are forcing them to pass rising costs on to consumers. — Tessa Bentulan, Baltimore Sun, 9 June 2026 The Broncos chose to be strategic, their offseason a laser, not a crabbing net. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2026 Corpus Christi lessons Joey Palermo also lives along the shore and does his share of fishing, crabbing and shrimping. — Rebekah F. Ward, Houston Chronicle, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for crabbing
  1. complaining
  2. damaging
  3. screaming
  4. marring
  5. whining
  6. injuring
  7. moaning
  8. hurting
Verb
  • The sport is now on TV every night of the week these days—and unlike some traditionalists, football-loving families aren’t complaining.
    — Beth Ann Mayer, Parents, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Even before the eighth inning on Sunday, Flemming spent a great deal of time complaining on the WEEI broadcast.
    — Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of complaining
Verb
  • Prosecutors have also charged him with making false statements to investigators about allegedly damaging Mica’s car tires.
    — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Russian drones hit three major distribution centers, destroying depots belonging to a toy store chain and a confectionery company, and damaging another run by an electronics retailer, the companies said.
    — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of damaging
Verb
  • For now, however, the company that produces Flock cameras is holding off on technology that can register screaming and perhaps even speech.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Harry Styles didn’t need to name-drop Taylor Swift to get his Madison Square Garden crowd screaming.
    — Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of screaming
Verb
  • To prevent a similar war from happening again, Menelaus scarred her face, permanently marring her famous beauty.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 18 July 2026
  • Lined with live oaks and old-fashioned, busy storefronts, this artsy town on the Gulf of Mexico has no commercial development marring its shoreline.
    — Valerie Fraser Luesse, Southern Living, 16 June 2026
Definition of marring
Verb
  • The state compared Atrium to a soccer team whining about the referees.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The epic whining heard across MLB over the Tarik Skubal acquisition is evidence Andrew Friedman and Dodgers management are a masterclass in demonstrating creative leadership to cultivate a winning ballclub.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of whining
Verb
  • Young people armed with machetes stormed the site of the funeral, forcing the team to flee and injuring one member, a representative told the Associated Press.
    — Constant Same Bagalwa, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The lawsuit states that the accused was arrested in May 2021 for injuring a man and damaging multiple vehicles after discharging a firearm more than 20 times at a Kissimmee gas station and then fleeing the scene.
    — Evonne Andris, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of injuring
Verb
  • Hall wrote in his report that Hamilton lay down in the backseat of the police vehicle, moaning and not responding, prompting first responders to give him Narcan.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Video released by the Milwaukie Police Department shows Descamps sprawled in a hospital bed, his body limp, moaning and drooling, while medical staff stood nearby.
    — Brian Mann, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of moaning
Verb
  • Recent polling shows that high pump prices are driving down presidential approval and hurting Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
    — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Any increase to interest rates that could cool inflation also risks hurting the jobs market.
    — Damian J. Troise, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of hurting

Browse Nearby Words

crabbedness
crabbing
crabby
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Cite this Entry

“Crabbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/crabbing. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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