Meaning & use
jumbo shrimp
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
Shrimp of an especially large commercial size, sold or served as a premium option.
Grammar: Count it by pieces (six jumbo shrimp) or treat it as a food (some jumbo shrimp). The plural has no extra s.
Patterns
- jumbo shrimp with something
- a plate of jumbo shrimp
We ordered a plate of jumbo shrimp with garlic butter.
The market sells jumbo shrimp by the pound on weekends.
Grilled jumbo shrimp were the star of the barbecue.
nounsingularhumorous
A humorous example of an oxymoron, since the two words seem to contradict each other.
Grammar: Used as a named example, usually with 'is' or 'as': jumbo shrimp is an oxymoron.
Patterns
- jumbo shrimp as an example of something
Our teacher used jumbo shrimp as an example of an oxymoron.
He joked that 'jumbo shrimp' sounds like a contradiction on the menu.
Comedians love jumbo shrimp as a phrase that argues with itself.
Common combinations
- grilled jumbo shrimp
- We shared grilled jumbo shrimp on the patio.
- peeled jumbo shrimp
- Add the peeled jumbo shrimp to the pan for two minutes.
- jumbo shrimp cocktail
- She started with a jumbo shrimp cocktail.
- a pound of jumbo shrimp
- Buy a pound of jumbo shrimp for the paella.
- fried jumbo shrimp
- The diner serves fried jumbo shrimp with fries.
Synonyms and how they differ
- king prawn
- King prawn is the usual British name for a large prawn, and it names a species group rather than a market size.
- large shrimp
- Large shrimp is a plain description, while jumbo sits at a higher size grade on packaging.
- prawn
- Prawn is often used for the larger species in Britain, whereas jumbo shrimp is the American market label.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: jumbo shrimp or prawn?
jumbo shrimp vs prawn
In British usage prawn often means the larger kind and shrimp the smaller, but in American use the two overlap.
Practice
Why do people call 'jumbo shrimp' an oxymoron?
Choose one answer.
The first word means very big while the second names something small, so they seem to clash. The other options are not related to the contradiction.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jumbo shrimp”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.