ant lion

or antlion


noun
  1. any of several insects belonging to the family Myrmeleontidae, of the order Neuroptera, the larvae of which dig a pit in sand where they lie in wait to prey upon ants or other insects that lose their footing.

Origin of ant lion

1
First recorded in 1805–15

Words Nearby ant lion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ant lion in a sentence

  • Some are very long, as those of most Lepidoptera; others very short, as that of the ant-lion (Myrmeleon).

  • These are the jaws of the ant-lion, lying in wait to gobble up the first passer-by.

    Little Busybodies | Jeanette Augustus Marks and Julia Moody
  • In this room it lies quietly, sometimes all winter, until it changes into a grown-up ant-lion with four long, narrow wings.

    Little Busybodies | Jeanette Augustus Marks and Julia Moody
  • The ant-lion, of course, was the larval form of a lace-wing fly.

    The Forgotten Planet | Murray Leinster
  • But it is rather uncharitable even to the ant-lion, to say so much as this.

British Dictionary definitions for antlion

antlion

/ (ˈæntˌlaɪən) /


noun
  1. Also called: antlion fly any of various neuropterous insects of the family Myrmeleontidae, which typically resemble dragonflies and are most common in tropical regions

  2. Also called (US): doodlebug the larva of this insect, which has very large jaws and buries itself in the sand to await its prey

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