worm
Zoology. any of numerous long, slender, soft-bodied, legless, bilaterally symmetrical invertebrates, including the flatworms, roundworms, acanthocephalans, nemerteans, gordiaceans, and annelids.
(loosely) any of numerous small creeping animals with more or less slender, elongated bodies, and without limbs or with very short ones, including individuals of widely differing kinds, as earthworms, tapeworms, insect larvae, and adult forms of some insects.
something resembling or suggesting a worm in appearance, movement, etc.
Informal. a groveling, abject, or contemptible person.
the spiral pipe in which the vapor is condensed in a still.
(not in technical use) screw thread (def. 1).
Also called worm screw . a rotating cylinder or shaft, cut with one or more helical threads, that engages with and drives a worm wheel.
something that penetrates, injures, or consumes slowly or insidiously, like a gnawing worm.
worms, (used with a singular verb)Pathology, Veterinary Pathology. any disease or disorder arising from the presence of parasitic worms in the intestines or other tissues; helminthiasis.
(used with a plural verb)Metallurgy. irregularities visible on the surfaces of some metals subject to plastic deformation.
the lytta of a dog or other carnivorous animal.
computer code planted illegally in a software program so as to destroy data in any system that downloads the program, as by reformatting the hard disk.
to move or act like a worm; creep, crawl, or advance slowly or stealthily.
to achieve something by insidious procedure (usually followed by into): to worm into another's favor.
Metallurgy. craze (def. 8a).
to cause to move or advance in a devious or stealthy manner: The thief wormed his hand into my coat pocket.
to get by persistent, insidious efforts (usually followed by out or from): to worm a secret out of a person.
to insinuate (oneself or one's way) into another's favor, confidence, etc.: to worm his way into the king's favor.
to free from worms: He wormed the puppies.
Nautical. to wind yarn or the like spirally round (a rope) so as to fill the spaces between the strands and render the surface smooth.
Origin of worm
1Other words from worm
- wormer, noun
- wormlike, wormish, adjective
Words Nearby worm
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use worm in a sentence
Trucking comes with its own bag of worms, but folks seem to believe that AV trucking has a clearer path to profitability.
Hear from Lyft, Cruise, Nuro and Aurora about the road ahead for driverless vehicles | Megan Rose Dickey | August 28, 2020 | TechCrunchThe challenge here related to the “odd worms out,” which sat out reproductive cycles.
For each pair of worms, their number either stayed the same or increased by 50 percent over each 24-hour period.
The first time I heard nematode worms can teach us something about human longevity, I balked at the idea.
The Secret to a Long, Healthy Life Is in the Genes of the Oldest Humans Alive | Shelly Fan | August 10, 2020 | Singularity HubSurprisingly, many of these don’t ever occur in worms and other animals.
The Secret to a Long, Healthy Life Is in the Genes of the Oldest Humans Alive | Shelly Fan | August 10, 2020 | Singularity Hub
And the other is what is called a horsehair worm that overtakes the bodies of insects.
Vampires without Glitter or Girl Problems: Inside Guillermo del Toro’s ‘The Strain’ | Andrew Romano | July 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWho knew, by the way, that The Carter Center has wiped out guinea worm just about everywhere in Africa but South Sudan?
Don’t Run for President, Hillary. Become a ‘Post-President’ Instead | Tina Brown | May 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo, Grey worm arms the slaves of Meereen, who outnumber the citizens three-to-one.
Game of Thrones’ ‘Oathkeeper’: Joffrey’s Killer Revealed, White Walkers, and A New Jaime Lannister | Marlow Stern | April 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf you like mammal species from the suborder Vermilingua (meaning "worm tongue")...
The March Madness Teams to Cheer If Yours Got Bounced | Ben Teitelbaum | March 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt appeared The worm had turned, even though his ignorance remained wrong side up.
Ping-Pong Diplomacy Not An Option? Try Ding-Dong Diplomacy | Kevin Bleyer | January 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAlthough everybody laughed at such a notion, the worm-eating Warbler declared that he had a right to his own belief.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyIt was no worm that Mrs. Robin had found, but Grandfather Mole's hairless tail sticking out of the ground.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyFor Mrs. Robin had an end of a pinkish-white worm in her bill, on which she was tugging as hard as she could.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyWhen he was interviewed, fearsome in manner as he was, he sent the worm away packed with ideas and phrases.
Ancestors | Gertrude AthertonIt also has an enemy, a small worm that forms in its body and gradually eats it up.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin | Mary Hazelton Wade
British Dictionary definitions for worm (1 of 2)
/ (wɜːm) /
any of various invertebrates, esp the annelids (earthworms, etc), nematodes (roundworms), and flatworms, having a slender elongated body: Related adjective: vermicular
any of various insect larvae having an elongated body, such as the silkworm and wireworm
any of various unrelated animals that resemble annelids, nematodes, etc, such as the glow-worm and shipworm
a gnawing or insinuating force or agent that torments or slowly eats away
a wretched or spineless person
anything that resembles a worm in appearance or movement
a shaft on which a helical groove has been cut, as in a gear arrangement in which such a shaft meshes with a toothed wheel
a spiral pipe cooled by air or flowing water, used as a condenser in a still
a nontechnical name for lytta
anatomy any wormlike organ, structure, or part, such as the middle lobe of the cerebellum (vermis cerebelli): Technical name: vermis
computing a program that duplicates itself many times in a network and prevents its destruction. It often carries a logic bomb or virus
to move, act, or cause to move or act with the slow sinuous movement of a worm
(foll by in, into, out of, etc) to make (one's way) slowly and stealthily; insinuate (oneself)
(tr; often foll by out of or from) to extract (information, a secret, etc) from by persistent questioning
(tr) to free from or purge of worms
(tr) nautical to wind yarn around (a rope) so as to fill the spaces between the strands and render the surface smooth for parcelling and serving
Origin of worm
1- See also worms
Derived forms of worm
- wormer, noun
- wormlike or wormish, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for WORM (2 of 2)
/ (wɜːm) /
write once read many times: an optical disk that enables users to store data but not change it
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for worm
[ wûrm ]
Any of various invertebrate animals having a soft, long body that is round or flattened and usually lacks limbs. The term worm is used variously to refer to the segmented worms (or annelids, such as the earthworm), roundworms (or nematodes), flatworms (or platyhelminths), and various other groups.
A destructive computer program that copies itself over and over until it fills all of the storage space on a computer's hard drive or on a network.
a closer look
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with worm
In addition to the idioms beginning with worm
- worm into
- worm out of
- worm turns, the
also see:
- can of worms
- early bird catches the worm
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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