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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ant lion¹

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

We had never actually seen the ant lions themselves, only their wicked handiwork.

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At night, he and other graduate students and field investigators would “mess with ant lions” by tossing ants into the pits.

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Kino watched with the detachment of God while a dusty ant frantically tried to escape the sand trap an ant lion had dug for him.

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We used to watch the ants, too, and I regret 81 to say that we used to feed them to the ant lions.

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An ant lion will dig an entrapment, then hiding behind a blind, await the unwary.

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