Crab vs. Crap: What's the Difference?
Edited by Aimie Carlson || By Janet White || Published on October 25, 2023
"Crab" refers to a marine crustacean, while "Crap" is slang for nonsense or waste.
Key Differences
"Crab" is a term that denotes a type of marine creature known for its hard shell, sideways movement, and two large claws. They are found in oceans worldwide and are popular in culinary dishes for their meat. On the contrary, "Crap" is a colloquial term that can mean nonsense, rubbish, or waste. While "Crab" conjures images of beaches and seafood dishes, "Crap" might bring to mind something undesirable or of low quality.
Interestingly, "Crab" and "Crap" are just a letter apart, but they have entirely different meanings and usages. "Crab" can also be used in a verb form, referring to the action of criticizing or being disagreeable. Meanwhile, "Crap" is often used informally to express disappointment or frustration. For instance, one might say, "Don't give me that crap" when confronted with unbelievable information.
While "Crab" has a rich biological and culinary background, "Crap" has its roots in slang. The word "Crap" is sometimes considered vulgar, especially when referring to excrement, and might not be suitable for all audiences or formal situations. "Crab", apart from its primary meaning, also finds its way into idioms like "crabbing about," which means complaining or being difficult.
It's essential to recognize the difference between "Crab" and "Crap" in both written and spoken English, especially given their stark contrast in meaning. Using one in place of the other can lead to significant misunderstandings. While "Crab" generally evokes images of a delicacy or the animal itself, "Crap" is used in casual language, often indicating disappointment or disbelief.
Comparison Chart
Primary Meaning
Marine crustacean
Nonsense or waste
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Use in Language
Noun (mostly), sometimes verb
Noun, sometimes expletive
Associated Connotations
Seafood, animal, delicacy
Rubbish, disappointment, disbelief
Formality
Neutral
Informal, sometimes considered vulgar
Idiomatic Usage
"Crabbing about" (complaining)
"Full of crap" (talking nonsense)
Crab and Crap Definitions
Crab
The flesh of this crustacean, used as food.
I love the taste of crab in seafood pasta.
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Crap
To excrete waste from the body.
I need to find a restroom to crap.
Crab
A machine for hoisting or hauling, having a drum around which a rope is wound.
The workers used a crab to lift the heavy machinery.
Crap
Worthless or false talk or ideas.
I don't believe him; it sounds like crap.
Crab
Any of various chiefly marine decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, having a hard carapace that covers a broad flattened cephalothorax with a small abdomen tucked beneath it, and an anterior pair of legs that are large and pincerlike.
Crap
Excrement.
Crab
Any of various similar decapod crustaceans, such as a hermit crab or a king crab.
Crap
An act of defecating.
Crab
Crabmeat.
Crap
Foolish, deceitful, or boastful language.
Crab
A crab louse.
Crap
Cheap or shoddy material.
Crab
Crabs(Slang) Infestation by crab lice.
Crap
Miscellaneous or disorganized items; clutter.
Crab
The maneuvering of an aircraft partially into a crosswind to compensate for drift.
Crap
Insolent talk or behavior.
Crab
A machine for handling or hoisting heavy weights.
Crap
Used for intensive effect in idioms such as beat the crap out of (someone) for beat (someone) very badly.
Crab
A crabapple tree or its fruit.
Crap
See craps.
Crab
A quarrelsome, ill-tempered person.
Crap
A losing first throw in the game of craps.
Crab
See Cancer.
Crap
To defecate.
Crab
To hunt or catch crabs.
Crap
To make a losing throw in the game of craps. Usually used with out.
Crab
To scurry sideways in the manner of a crab.
Crap
Used to express anger or displeasure.
Crab
To drift diagonally or sideways, especially when under tow.
Crap
(obsolete) The husk of grain; chaff.
Crab
To direct an aircraft into a crosswind.
Crap
Something worthless or of poor quality; junk.
The long-running game show went from offering good prizes to crap in no time.
Crab
To direct (an aircraft) partly into a crosswind to eliminate drift.
Crap
Nonsense; something untrue.
The college student boasted of completing a 10,000-word essay on Shakespeare, but that claim was utter crap.
Crab
To cause to move or scurry sideways.
Crap
Faeces/feces.
I stepped in some dog crap that was on the sidewalk.
Crab
To find fault; criticize someone or something.
Crap
An act of defecation.
I have to take a crap.
Crab
(Informal) To interfere with and ruin; spoil.
Crap
A losing throw of 2, 3, or 12 in craps.
Crab
(Informal) To find fault with; complain about.
Crap
To defecate.
Crab
To make ill-tempered or sullen.
Crap
To defecate in or on (clothing etc.).
He almost crapped his pants from fright.
Crab
A crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura, having five pairs of legs, the foremost of which are in the form of claws, and a carapace.
Crap
To bullshit. Also Australia?
Don't try to crap me: I know you're lying.
Crab
(uncountable) The meat of this crustacean, served as food; crabmeat.
Crap
Of poor quality.
I drove an old crap car for ten years before buying a new one.
Crab
A bad-tempered person.
Crap
(slang) Expression of worry, fear, shock, surprise, disgust, annoyance, or dismay.
Oh crap! The other driver's going to hit my car!
Crap! I lost the game.
What the crap?!
Aw, crap, I have to start over again from the beginning of the level.
Crab
An infestation of pubic lice (Pthirus pubis).
Although crabs themselves are an easily treated inconvenience, the patient and his partner(s) clearly run major STD risks.
Crap
In the game of craps, a first throw of the dice in which the total is two, three, or twelve, in which case the caster loses. Also called craps.
Crab
The angle by which an aircraft's nose is pointed upwind of its groundtrack to compensate for crosswinds during an approach to landing; its crab angle.
The pilot had to hold fifteen degrees of crab during the approach to keep her plane from getting blown off the localizer course.
Crap
Same as excrement and feces.
Crab
The state of an aircraft's nose being pointed upwind of its groundtrack to compensate for crosswinds during an approach to landing.
Crap
Nonsense; balderdash; bullshit; - also used as an expletive.
Crab
(slang) A playing card with the rank of three.
Crap
To defecate. Same as take a crap.
Crab
(rowing) A position in rowing where the oar is pushed under the rigger by the force of the water.
Crap
Obscene terms for feces
Crab
A defect in an outwardly normal object that may render it inconvenient and troublesome to use.
Crap
Obscene words for unacceptable behavior;
I put up with a lot of bullshit from that jerk
What he said was mostly bull
Crab
(dated) An unsold book that is returned to the publisher.
Crap
Have a bowel movement;
The dog had made in the flower beds
Crab
The crab apple or wild apple.
Crap
Something of poor quality or rubbish.
This movie is total crap.
Crab
The tree bearing crab apples, which has a dogbane-like bitter bark with medical use.
Crap
Vulgar slang for excrement.
There's bird crap on my car's windshield.
Crab
A cudgel made of the wood of the crab tree; a crabstick.
Crap
An exclamation of disappointment.
Crap! I forgot my keys at home.
Crab
A movable winch or windlass with powerful gearing, used with derricks, etc.
Crab
A form of windlass, or geared capstan, for hauling ships into dock, etc.
Crab
A machine used in ropewalks to stretch the yarn.
Crab
A claw for anchoring a portable machine.
Crab
The tree species Carapa guianensis, native to South America.
Crab
(informal) carabiner
Crab
(intransitive) To fish for crabs.
Crab
To ruin.
Crab
(intransitive) To complain.
Crab
(transitive) To complain about.
Crab
(intransitive) To drift or move sideways or to leeward by analogy with the movement of a crab.
Crab
To move in a manner that involves keeping low and clinging to surfaces.
Crab
To navigate (an aircraft, e.g. a glider) sideways against an air current in order to maintain a straight-line course.
Crab
To move (a camera) sideways.
Crab
, to fly slightly off the straight-line course towards an enemy aircraft, as the machine guns on early aircraft did not allow firing through the propeller disk.
Crab
(rare) To back out of something.
Crab
(obsolete) To irritate, make surly or sour
Crab
To be ill-tempered; to complain or find fault.
Crab
(British dialect) To cudgel or beat, as with a crabstick
Crab
One of the brachyuran Crustacea. They are mostly marine, and usually have a broad, short body, covered with a strong shell or carapace. The abdomen is small and curled up beneath the body.
Crab
The zodiacal constellation Cancer.
Crab
A crab apple; - so named from its harsh taste.
When roasted crabs hiss in the bowl,Then nightly sings the staring owl.
Crab
A cudgel made of the wood of the crab tree; a crabstick.
Crab
A movable winch or windlass with powerful gearing, used with derricks, etc.
Crab
To make sour or morose; to embitter.
Sickness sours or crabs our nature.
Crab
To beat with a crabstick.
Crab
To drift sidewise or to leeward, as a vessel.
Crab
Sour; rough; austere.
The crab vintage of the neighb'ring coast.
Crab
Decapod having eyes on short stalks and a broad flattened carapace with a small abdomen folded under the thorax and pincers
Crab
A quarrelsome grouch
Crab
(astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in Cancer
Crab
The fourth sign of the zodiac; the sun is in this sign from about June 21 to July 22
Crab
The edible flesh of any of various crabs
Crab
Infests the pubic region of the human body
Crab
A stroke of the oar that either misses the water or digs too deeply;
He caught a crab and lost the race
Crab
Direct (an aircraft) into a crosswind
Crab
Scurry sideways like a crab
Crab
Fish for crab
Crab
Complain;
What was he hollering about?
Crab
A marine crustacean with a broad carapace, stalked eyes, and five pairs of legs.
We caught a large crab at the beach today.
Crab
To complain or grumble about something.
She's always crabbing about her job.
Crab
To move sideways.
The soldier began to crab to his left to avoid detection.
FAQs
Can I use "Crap" in professional settings?
It's best to avoid using "Crap" in formal or professional situations due to its informal and sometimes vulgar connotations.
Can "Crab" refer to something other than the marine creature?
Yes, "Crab" can also mean to complain or grumble about something.
Is "Crab" primarily a noun or a verb?
"Crab" is primarily a noun, but can also be a verb meaning to complain or move sideways.
What does "Crap" generally imply in conversations?
"Crap" usually refers to something of poor quality or rubbish and can also be an exclamation of disappointment.
Is "Crap" considered a polite term?
"Crap" is informal and sometimes considered vulgar, especially when referring to excrement.
Is "Crap" always negative in context?
Mostly, as it refers to rubbish or disappointment, but its negativity can vary based on context and intent.
Why might someone say "Don't give me that crap"?
It's an informal way of expressing disbelief or indicating that they think someone is lying or talking nonsense.
Do "Crab" and "Crap" have similar origins or etymologies?
No, they have distinct etymologies, with "Crab" coming from Old English related to the creature, and "Crap" having uncertain origins, possibly Middle Dutch.
Are there any dishes named after "Crab"?
Yes, dishes like crab cakes, crab bisque, and crab rangoon feature the crustacean as a primary ingredient.
How can I differentiate between "Crab" and "Crap" in writing?
"Crab" refers to the crustacean or the act of complaining, while "Crap" refers to rubbish, nonsense, or excrement.
Is "Crabbing" a recreational activity?
Yes, "Crabbing" refers to the activity of catching crabs, often for both recreation and food.
Can "Crap" be used as a verb?
Yes, "Crap" can be a verb meaning to excrete waste.
How should I use "Crab" in a sentence related to seafood?
You could say, "The crab bisque at this restaurant is exquisite."
Can "Crap" be used to indicate surprise?
Yes, "Crap!" can be an exclamation of surprise or frustration.
Is "Crab" only a marine creature?
While primarily referring to marine crustaceans, "Crab" can also refer to some freshwater species.
What kind of reaction might "Crap" elicit in formal settings?
"Crap" might be seen as unprofessional or inappropriate in formal settings.
Is "Crab" singular or plural?
"Crab" can be both singular (one crab) and plural (several crab), though "crabs" is also used as the plural form.
Are there dishes named "Crap"?
No, "Crap" generally has negative connotations and wouldn't be used to name a dish.
Which word is more likely to be misinterpreted in writing due to spelling errors?
"Crap" and "Crab" are just one letter apart, so a typo could lead to significant misunderstandings.
Do both words have idiomatic expressions?
Yes, for instance, "Crabbing about" means complaining, and "Full of crap" means talking nonsense.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Aimie CarlsonAimie Carlson, holding a master's degree in English literature, is a fervent English language enthusiast. She lends her writing talents to Difference Wiki, a prominent website that specializes in comparisons, offering readers insightful analyses that both captivate and inform.
