ant lion

American  

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.

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Etymology

Origin of ant lion

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

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.

From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

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

From The Land of Look Behind by Brown, Paul Cameron

Yes, that is the way the larva of the aphis lion and of the ant lion made their cocoons.

From The Insect Folk by Morley, Margaret Warner

An ant slid part way down its funnel and tried to climb out again, and the ant lion down below is flinging sand at it.

From The Insect Folk by Morley, Margaret Warner

It is like the larvæ of the dobson, the aphis lion, and the ant lion in that respect.

From The Insect Folk by Morley, Margaret Warner