What does shrimp mean?
A shrimp is a small, edible marine crustacean with long antennae and a curved body. The word most often refers to the animal itself or to its meat as food, appearing in dishes such as shrimp cocktail and shrimp scampi. In informal British and American English, shrimp can also describe an insignificant person, while as a verb it means to withdraw, retreat, or shrink away because of fear, embarrassment, or reluctance. These figurative uses give the word a dismissive or comic tone, especially when the person is not actually insignificant. The word can also function attributively as a color term for the pinkish-orange shade of cooked shrimp meat. Although prawn is sometimes treated as a synonym, the two words normally refer to different kinds of crustacean and are distinguished by size, body shape, and antennae.
A small marine crustacean with long antennae and a curved body, commonly used as food.
"They served grilled shrimp with rice and salad."
Shrimp is commonly used as both the singular and plural form. The plural shrimps is also standard, but is less common.
A person regarded as insignificant, unimportant, or inadequate, especially in an ironic or dismissive sense.
"The young player was not exactly a shrimp, but he struggled to make an impact."
To withdraw, retreat, or shrink away, especially because of fear, embarrassment, or reluctance.
"He shrimped back into the room when the teacher called his name."
Small, insignificant, inadequate, or of a pinkish-orange color resembling cooked shrimp.
"The fishermen used a shrimp net to catch tiny fish."
The color sense is mainly culinary or descriptive, while the 'insignificant' sense is informal and often ironic.
In ordinary English, shrimp usually has the same form in the singular and plural. Shrimps is used when referring to multiple individual shrimp or when emphasizing the animals as a group.
"The biologist studied how shrimp respond to changes in water temperature."
The word shrimp can describe both a much-loved seafood and, as a verb, a dramatic disappearing act.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does shrimp come from?
The English word appears in Middle English in the sense of a small marine crustacean. Its deeper origin is not securely established, and modern proposals linking it to various Germanic forms remain uncertain. The separate meanings meaning 'an insignificant person' and 'to withdraw or shrink back' developed from figurative uses of the animal's small size and the movement of its body.
Related word forms
How shrimp is actually used
As a noun, shrimp is usually used in both singular and plural forms, with shrimp preferred in standard English and shrimps appearing chiefly when an individual animal or a plural sense is emphasized. The verb meaning 'withdraw or shrink away' is informal and often implies fear, embarrassment, or reluctance. The adjective meaning 'small or insignificant' is informal and frequently ironic.
Easily confused with shrimp
A shrimp is generally smaller and commonly has a distinctly curved body, whereas a prawn is usually larger, straighter-bodied, and has proportionally longer antennae, although the terms are sometimes used loosely as synonyms.