insectnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈɪn.sekt/us/ˈɪn.sekt/A2 a type of very small animal with six legs, a body divided into three parts and usually two pairs of wings, or, more generally, any similar very small animal:
Ants, beetles, butterflies, and flies are all insects.
I've got some sort of insect bite on my leg.
More examples
- Some trees exude from their bark a sap that repels insect parasites.
- An insect bit me on the arm.
- Why did you stamp on that insect?
- Outside the tent I could hear the constant drone of insects.
- The spider preys on small flies and other insects.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Insect names
- anopheles
- ant
- aphid
- beastie
- bedbug
- creepy-crawly
- daddy longlegs
- deathwatch beetle
- dragonfly
- earwig
- housefly
- ladybird
- lice
- lightning bug
- locust
- silverfish
- stick insect
- termite
- tortoiseshell butterfly
- tsetse fly
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