vermin
Americannoun
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vermin
plural
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noxious, objectionable, or disgusting animals collectively, especially those of small size that appear commonly and are difficult to control, as flies, lice, bedbugs, cockroaches, mice, and rats.
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an objectionable or obnoxious person, or such persons collectively.
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animals that prey upon game, as coyotes or weasels.
noun
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(functioning as plural) small animals collectively, esp insects and rodents, that are troublesome to man, domestic animals, etc
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an unpleasant, obnoxious, or dangerous person
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of vermin
1300–50; Middle English vermyne < Anglo-French, Middle French vermin, vermine < Vulgar Latin *verminum, *vermina, based on Latin vermin-; see verminate
Compare meaning
How does vermin compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Vermin is a catch-all term that can be used for any small animals or insects that we think of as pests. The cockroaches you found in your bathroom were the grossest vermin you'd ever seen. The word vermin originally came from the Anglo-French word of the same spelling, meaning "noxious animals" — definitely a negative term. Rats, mice, cockroaches, along with pests to farmers and the animals they raise, like coyotes and weasels, are vermin. Annoying people who cause problems are also sometimes called vermin, like the vermin who bully others.
Vocabulary lists containing vermin
Bud, Not Buddy
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"The Metamorphosis," Vocabulary from the novella
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As human beings began to organize themselves into sedentary, agrarian societies, they formed mutualistic relationships with the wildcats that prevented vermin from decimating their grain stores.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The bacterium Yersinia pestis, which can cause pneumonic and bubonic plague, has been identified from time to time in Siberia, linked to exposure to vermin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The company has also been accruing fines as air regulators demand the company take additional steps to mitigate the smell and vermin that has been drawn to the site and surrounding neighborhoods.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
It also involves the ability to communicate with stressed customers who want insects and vermin gone — and the stomach to accomplish the task.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
He writes R-A-T before throwing his pencil at the vermin.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
