shrimp
shrimp Lexical Profile
shrimp Game Scores & Validity
• noun
The firm, mild-flavored edible flesh of this crustacean, widely cooked and eaten as seafood.
"The chef sautéed the peeled shrimp in garlic butter and white wine before tossing them with pasta."
A small, free-swimming decapod crustacean primarily of the infraorder Caridea, widely distributed in marine and freshwater habitats and characterized by a slender, laterally compressed body, a fan-like tail, and long antennae.
"Small translucent shrimp darted among the seagrass beds in the shallow coastal lagoon."
A person of very small, slight, or puny stature, or someone regarded as insignificant (used informally and often disparagingly).
"He was teased by his older brothers for being the smallest shrimp on the neighborhood basketball court."
• verb
To fish for or catch shrimp, typically using nets or trawls.
"Generations of coastal families have shrimped along the Gulf Coast to earn their livelihood."
To push one's hips backward while lying on one's back or side in order to create space and escape a pin or mount (in grappling and martial arts such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu).
"The grappler quickly shrimped to his left to recover his guard before his opponent could secure side control."
Word Nuance & Usage
The collective plural 'shrimp' is standard when referring to the crustacean in bulk or as food (e.g., 'two pounds of shrimp'), while 'shrimps' is used when emphasizing distinct individual organisms or multiple species, as well as for the informal sense meaning small people.
• Rhymes for shrimp
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Originating from Middle English 'shrimpe', likely related to Middle Low German 'schrempen' (to wrinkle or contract) and Old Norse 'skreppa' (to shrink), referring to the crustacean's small size or contracted body shape.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.