carp
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A large fish that lives in lakes and rivers.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
kahrpIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈkɑɹp
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
Any of various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae; specifically the common carp, Cyprinus carpio.
An instance of, or speech, complaining or criticizing about a fault, especially for frivolous or petty reasons; a cavil.
verb
intransitive
To criticize or complain about a fault, especially for frivolous or petty reasons; to cavil. [(often) with at]
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: Any of various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae; specifically the common carp, Cyprinus carpio.
Used this way, carp is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in family or home contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where it naturally appears
- Family/home
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use carp
- “I caught a big carp in the lake yesterday afternoon.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Any of the eight small bones of the wrist of primates.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to criticize or complain about a fault
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.