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ladybird

British

/ ˈleɪdɪˌbɜːd /

noun

Usual US and Canadian name: ladybug. any of various small brightly coloured beetles of the family Coccinellidae, such as Adalia bipunctata ( two-spotted ladybird ), which has red elytra marked with black spots

"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

Etymology

Origin of ladybird

C18: named after Our Lady, the Virgin Mary

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.

The nursery rhyme that goes “Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home, your house is on fire, your children are gone” cruelly repeated in my head.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2025

It has set its sights on a bizarre-looking insect larva known as the mealybug ladybird, which sports a coat of white, waxy filaments that resembles fleece.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 15, 2024

A bee, butterfly, ladybird, wren and robin all appear on the invite's border to symbolize the beginning of spring and Charles's dedication to sustainability.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2023

A bodybuilder who overcame sepsis after being bitten by a ladybird has won his first competition since doctors gave him a 30% chance of survival.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2021

‘In your country,’ he said, ‘I is hearing the footsteps of a ladybird as she goes walking across a leaf.’

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023