plural shrimp or shrimps
1
: any of numerous mostly small and marine decapod crustaceans (suborders Dendrobranchiata and Pleocyemata) having a slender elongated body, a compressed abdomen, and a long spiny rostrum and including some (especially family Penaeidae) that are commercially important as food
also
: a small crustacean (such as an amphipod or a branchiopod) resembling the true shrimp
2
usually disparaging
: a very small or puny person or thing
Examples of shrimp in a Sentence
Noun
He's a little shrimp of a boy.
the boy was just a shrimp until his teens, when he had a growth spurt
Recent Examples on the Web
Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025
Rakar sells pork soup dumplings, chicken dumplings, egg drop soup, sesame shrimp and more.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2025
The hotel’s eponymous restaurant, which serves global fare like a coconut fish soup with shrimp dumplings, is in the Lithuania Michelin guide.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 27 Oct. 2025
Pop Mart has sold small Labubus, some shaped like shrimp tempura, carrying Coke products, dressed as pumpkins, and more.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrimp
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Noun
The dining room tables were filled with Arlington’s beloved red velvet Belgian waffles with chicken or catfish, or with orders of shrimp-and-grits or catfish-and-grits.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2025
Rakar sells pork soup dumplings, chicken dumplings, egg drop soup, sesame shrimp and more.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 27 Oct. 2025
The hotel’s eponymous restaurant, which serves global fare like a coconut fish soup with shrimp dumplings, is in the Lithuania Michelin guide.
—Sophie Friedman, AFAR Media, 27 Oct. 2025
Pop Mart has sold small Labubus, some shaped like shrimp tempura, carrying Coke products, dressed as pumpkins, and more.
—Julia Gomez, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shrimp
Cite this Entry
“Shrimp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shrimp. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shrimp
1 of 2 noun
plural shrimps or shrimp
1
: any of numerous small mostly marine shellfish that are crustaceans related to the lobsters, that have a long slender body, an abdomen that is very thin from side to side, and long legs, and that include some important as food
2
: a very small or unimportant person or thing
shrimp
2 of 2 verb
: to fish for or catch shrimps
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