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, adjective

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, noun

Word Origin for shrimp

C14: probably of Germanic origin; compare Middle Low German schrempen to shrink; see scrimp, crimp