water bug

noun

1. any of various aquatic bugs, as of the family Belostomatidae giant water bug.
2. (loosely) a large cockroach, especially the American cockroach.

water bug

noun

1. any of various heteropterous insects adapted to living in the water or on its surface, esp any of the family Belostomatidae ( giant water bugs ), of North America, India, and southern Africa, which have flattened hairy legs

Word History and Origins

Origin of water bug¹

First recorded in 1740–50

Example Sentences

She had been bitten by the cold water bug while swimming in Vermont’s Lake Champlain a few years ago, but in the face of the pandemic, found that last winter the practice served her more than ever.

From Outside Online

Presently he noticed a funny water bug crawling on the bottom where the water was only an inch or two deep. '

From Project Gutenberg

Here two large tiger-beetles were fighting with a poor water-bug.

From Project Gutenberg

And she regards you as—well, as a considerably-drowned water-bug.

From Project Gutenberg

You are no more than a water-bug on the surface of the river.

From Project Gutenberg

A good many kinds of bugs live in the water, but perhaps the oddest of all is the giant water bug.

From Project Gutenberg