carp

A large fish that lives in lakes and rivers and is often raised for food.

• A carp swam beneath the bridge.
• We caught three carp in the lake.
• The pond is full of large carp.

Common phrases: common carp, catch a carp, carp fishing

The plural form of carp; more than one (kind of) carp.

• We fed the carp at the boat dock. We saw many carp there.

To keep complaining or criticizing, especially about small, unimportant things.

• Please stop carping about the weather.
• He carped at every small mistake.
• The critics kept carping over details nobody else noticed.

How to use it: carp about something (He keeps carping about the price of coffee.); carp at someone/something (She carped at every suggestion we made.)

Similar words: complain, nitpick, grumble, cavil

Common phrases: carp about something, carp at someone, carp over details