crabwise

8.2

To move sideways or at an angle

adverb
/ˈkræbˌwaɪz/

: de lado

The toddler moved crabwise across the floor.

Examples

She edged crabwise along the narrow ledge, careful not to look down.
The ship drifted crabwise toward the harbor, carried by the current.
The crowd moved crabwise to avoid the obstacle in the middle of the street.
He walked crabwise to avoid stepping on the wet grass.
He carefully moved crabwise along the narrow ledge to avoid slipping off.
As the storm approached, we crawled crabwise to reach the safety of the cave.
The child scooted crabwise on the floor, trying to catch the rolling toy.

Synonyms

sideways

vscrabwise

100 2.1

At or toward the side instead of straight ahead

moves at an angle or diagonal rather than directly to the side

laterally

vscrabwise

8 5.0

To the side, moving in a sideways way

stresses movement at an angle rather than neutral side reference

slantwise

vscrabwise

6.8

In a way that is at an angle, not straight up or across

includes movement to the side and at an angle rather than only diagonal slant

Antonyms

straight

∞ 1.0

In a direct line without turning

Surface Forms

crabwise positive

Morphology

crabwise = crab (transparent) = crab + wise

The meaning is directly formed from 'crab' + the productive suffix '-wise' meaning 'in the manner of', so learners can readily infer 'sideways like a crab'.

Etymology

Crabwise comes from the animal crab and the ending -wise, which means 'in the way of'. Because crabs walk sideways, crabwise means moving sideways or at an angle, like a crab.