noun
shrimp
shrihmp
noun
1
A small, edible, long-tailed crustacean with slender legs.
"We grilled shrimp skewers for the barbecue."
2
A small or unimportant person (informal, often used as an insult).
"The older kids teased him for being a shrimp."
How to Use Shrimp
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small edible sea creature, or, informally, a small or unimpressive person.
UK vs US
In British English, "prawn" is often used where American English uses "shrimp," though the two terms overlap and aren't always biologically identical.
Common pairings
shrimp cocktail
grilled shrimp
jumbo shrimp
Word Forms
shrimped past tense, shrimp plural, shrimps plural, Shrimps plural, shrimps singular
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Etymology
From Middle English schrimpe ("shrimp, puny person"), of Germanic origin related to words for "shrivel" or "shrink."