crawdad
A crayfish; the little creek lobster.
Also called crawdaddy, crawfish, crayfish.
Updated September 21, 2026
crawdad pronunciation
/KRAW-dad/
Meaning
Crawdad is what a lot of inland Southern and Midland kids call the small freshwater crayfish under rocks in a creek. Same critter as crawfish or crayfish. You catch them for bait, boil a mess, or flip rocks just to watch them scoot backward.
How folks use it
- “We caught a bucket of crawdads under the bridge.”
- “That creek's full of crawdads after a good rain.”
Origin and etymology
American regional form related to crawfish, itself from French écrevisse. DARE maps crawdad as widespread except the Atlantic North, with crawdaddy as a cousin. Dialect surveys put crawdad strong inland; Deep South kitchens often say crawfish. Appalachian talk also has crawdab in some hollers.
Frequently asked questions
Is a crawdad different from a crawfish?
Same animal. Crawdad and crawfish are regional names. Crayfish is the more bookish label.