crap
High (informal contexts)Informal, colloquial, vulgar
Definition
Meaning
Excrement; feces.
Something worthless, useless, or of poor quality; nonsense, rubbish.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a noun, but functions flexibly as verb, adjective, and exclamation. Considered vulgar/mildly taboo, but widely used in informal speech. Euphemistic alternatives (e.g., "crap") are common.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
More likely used as a countable noun ('load of crap') in UK; in US, often uncountable ('that's crap'). The verb form 'to crap' is more common in US.
Connotations
Slightly less offensive in UK than US, but still vulgar. In US, considered stronger than 'junk' but milder than the f-word.
Frequency
Frequent in both varieties, with comparable offensiveness levels.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
Noun: That's a load of crap.Verb: I need to crap.Adjective: This is a crap film.Exclamation: Crap! I forgot my keys.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Shoot the crap (chat idly)”
- “Crap out (fail, give up)”
- “Take a crap (defecate)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Avoid; use 'poor quality', 'substandard', 'unsatisfactory'.
Academic
Avoid entirely; use 'fallacious', 'specious', 'unsound'.
Everyday
Common in informal conversation among friends/family.
Technical
Not used.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The dog crapped on the lawn again.
- He's always crapping on about his job.
American English
- I need to crap before we leave.
- He crapped out halfway through the marathon.
adverb
British English
- He played crap in the match.
- The project went crap from the start.
American English
- She sang crap at the audition.
- Everything turned out crap.
adjective
British English
- This is a crap phone; it keeps dropping calls.
- We had crap weather all holiday.
American English
- That was a crap movie, total waste of time.
- I feel like crap today.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- This food is crap.
- I don't want that crap toy.
- He talks a lot of crap about politics.
- My car is old crap, but it works.
- The report was full of statistical crap.
- Don't give me that crap about being too busy.
- The government's latest policy is unadulterated crap, devoid of any empirical foundation.
- He crapped out on the deal at the last moment, leaving us in the lurch.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
CRAP sounds like 'crack' + 'trap'—imagine something breaking (cracking) because it's trapped in poor quality.
Conceptual Metaphor
WORTHLESS OBJECTS ARE EXCREMENT.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Not equivalent to 'дерьмо' in all contexts; 'дерьмо' is often stronger/more offensive.
- Avoid translating directly in formal situations.
Common Mistakes
- Using in formal writing.
- Overusing as a filler word.
- Confusing with 'crop' in pronunciation.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'crap' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it's considered vulgar/offensive, though milder than many others. Avoid in formal contexts.
'Crap' is generally less offensive than 'shit'. 'Shit' is stronger and more taboo.
Only in very informal workplaces among close colleagues. Generally best avoided.
Broadly yes, but verb usage ('to crap') is more common in AmE. Both treat it as informal/vulgar.