shrimp
shrimp — noun
1. the pink or gray meat from a small sea animal with a curved body and a tail, use
the pink or gray meat from a small sea animal with a curved body and a tail, used as food in many different dishes
Salma grilled some shrimp for dinner last night.
food context: shrimp as main ingredient
The shrimp in this coconut curry are small but very flavorful.
Karim ordered a shrimp cocktail at the seaside restaurant.
A pound of frozen shrimp costs less than the fresh kind at the market.
文法句型
shrimp as uncountable noun (the food)
shrimps as countable plural (the animals)
用法筆記
When talking about the food, shrimp is usually uncountable ('We had shrimp for dinner'). When talking about the animals themselves, the plural can be shrimp or shrimps ('The shrimps in the tank are active').
常見錯誤
2. a small animal that lives in salt water, with a thin outer shell, a long body ma
a small animal that lives in salt water, with a thin outer shell, a long body made of several parts, and ten legs
A small shrimp darted between the rocks in the tidal pool.
habitat: tidal pools and sea floors
Mizuki watched a shrimp bury itself in the sand to hide from predators.
These shrimp have long antennae and a fan-shaped tail that helps them swim backward.
The aquarium has a special tank where visitors can watch shrimp molt their old shells.
文法句型
shrimp as countable noun
shrimps as plural variant
3. an informal and insulting way to describe a person who is very short in height
an informal and insulting way to describe a person who is very short in height
The older boys called Reuben a shrimp because he was the shortest in their class.
informal insult directed at a short person
Élise told her brother to stop using the word 'shrimp' to insult his classmates.
Grandpa still laughs when old friends refer to him as a shrimp for his height.
The teacher told the students not to call anyone a shrimp because it is hurtful.
- giant
a person of unusually great height
文法句型
call someone a shrimp
treat someone like a shrimp
用法筆記
This is a derogatory term that can cause offense. It is seen as bullying when used to describe a person's body size. Recommended alternatives: 'short', 'small in stature'.
常見錯誤
shrimp — verb
1. to catch shrimps from the ocean or a river, either as paid work or as a hobby
to catch shrimps from the ocean or a river, either as paid work or as a hobby
Vivek goes shrimping with his uncle every summer near the coast.
common pattern: go shrimping
The local boats that shrimp off the coast leave the harbor before dawn.
Kwame learned to shrimp from his father when he was twelve years old.
The family has been shrimping in these waters for three generations.
文法句型
go shrimping
shrimp for a living
用法筆記
The verb shrimp is rarely used in the simple present ('He shrimps'). The -ing form ('go shrimping') or the simple past ('We shrimped all morning') are much more common.