vermin
Americannoun
PLURAL
vermin-
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.
-
an objectionable or obnoxious person, or such persons collectively.
-
animals that prey upon game, as coyotes or weasels.
noun
-
(functioning as plural) small animals collectively, esp insects and rodents, that are troublesome to man, domestic animals, etc
-
an unpleasant, obnoxious, or dangerous person
Etymology
Origin of vermin
1300–50; Middle English vermyne < Anglo-French, Middle French vermin, vermine < Vulgar Latin *verminum, *vermina, based on Latin vermin-; verminate
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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.
But to non-Indian newcomers to the region, orcas were widely regarded as a vermin species and vicious killer to be at best avoided, and whenever possible, exterminated.
From Seattle Times
And cities are seeing the benefits of sound waste management because it reduces vermin that cause disease, helps ensure cleaner drinking water, gives waste workers a sustainable livelihood and helps the planet, he added.
From Seattle Times
Praveen Bhargav, a former member of the National Board for Wildlife, said that a recently amended section of the national Wildlife Act does not permit declaration of tigers "as vermin".
From BBC
Think back to the early 1900s, Wood said, when many predators were perceived as vermin.
From Seattle Times
They were regarded as a vermin species to be at best avoided, and whenever possible, exterminated.
From Seattle Times
Definitions 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.
