noun

carp

KAHP

noun

A large freshwater fish often found in ponds, lakes, and slow rivers, and sometimes farmed for food.

"They spent the afternoon fishing for carp at the lake."

verb

To complain or find fault persistently, often over minor things.

"He's always carping about the weather, no matter the season."

"Critics carped about the film's slow pacing."

How to Use Carp

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishEither the pond fish, or the habit of nagging and nitpicking about small things.

Common mistake

The fish and the verb "to complain" are unrelated words that happen to look identical — don't assume one explains the other.

Common pairings

carp about something constant carping catch a carp

Word Forms

carped past tense, carp plural, carps plural, carp plural, carped plural, carps plural, Carps plural, carps singular, carp singular, carpest singular, carped singular, carpedst singular, carpeth singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

They spent the afternoon fishing for _____ at the lake.

Etymology

The fish name comes from Old French carpe, likely of Germanic origin. The "to complain" sense instead traces to Old Norse karpa ("to boast, argue"), later influenced by Latin carpere ("to pluck at, slander").

Rhymes for carp

harp tarp warp Karp Earp sharp

See all rhymes for carp →