shrimp
[ shrimp ]
/ ʃrɪmp /
noun, plural shrimps, (especially collectively) shrimp for 1.
any of several small, long-tailed, chiefly marine crustaceans of the decapod suborder Natania, certain species of which are used as food.
Informal.
a diminutive or insignificant person.
verb (used without object)
to catch or try to catch shrimps.
adjective
(of food) made with or containing shrimp: shrimp salad.
of or relating to shrimp or their catching, processing, and marketing: a shrimp boat.
Origin of shrimp
1300–50; Middle English
shrimpe crustacean, puny person; akin to Middle High German
schrimpfen to contract, Old English
scrimman to shrink
OTHER WORDS FROM shrimp
shrimp·like, adjectiveWords nearby shrimp
shrievalty,
shrieve,
shrift,
shrike,
shrill,
shrimp,
shrimp plant,
shrimper,
shrimpfish,
shrine,
shriner
Example sentences from the Web for shrimp
British Dictionary definitions for shrimp
shrimp
/ (ʃrɪmp) /
noun
any of various chiefly marine decapod crustaceans of the genus Crangon and related genera, having a slender flattened body with a long tail and a single pair of pincers
any of various similar but unrelated crustaceans, such as the opossum shrimp and mantis shrimp
Also called: freshwater shrimp
any of various freshwater shrimplike amphipod crustaceans of the genus Gammarus, esp G. pulex
Also called: sand shrimp
any of various shrimplike amphipod crustaceans of the genus Gammarus, esp G. locusta
See also opossum shrimp
informal
a diminutive person, esp a child
verb
(intr)
to fish for shrimps
Derived forms of shrimp
shrimper, nounWord Origin for shrimp
C14: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German
schrempen to shrink; see
scrimp,
crimp