beetle
1 Americannoun
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any of numerous insects of the order Coleoptera, characterized by hard, horny forewings that cover and protect the membranous flight wings.
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(loosely) any of various insects resembling the beetle, as a cockroach.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a heavy hammering or ramming instrument, usually of wood, used to drive wedges, force down paving stones, compress loose earth, etc.
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any of various wooden instruments for beating linen, mashing potatoes, etc.
verb (used with object)
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to use a beetle on; drive, ram, beat, or crush with a beetle.
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to finish (cloth) with a beetling machine.
noun
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a heavy hand tool, usually made of wood, used for ramming, pounding, or beating
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a machine used to finish cloth by stamping it with wooden hammers
verb
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to beat or pound with a beetle
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to finish (cloth) by means of a beetle
noun
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any insect of the order Coleoptera , having biting mouthparts and forewings modified to form shell-like protective elytra
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a game played with dice in which the players draw or assemble a beetle-shaped form
verb
verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
- beetler noun
- beetling adjective
Etymology
Origin of beetle1
First recorded before 900; late Middle English bit(t)il, betylle, bityl, Old English bitel(a), betl, derivative of bītan bite
Origin of beetle2
First recorded before 900; Middle English betel, bitille “mallet, hammer,” Old English bītel, bētel, bȳtel (cognate with Middle Low German bētel “chisel”), derivative of bē(a)tan beat
Origin of beetle3
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; back formation from beetle-browed
Explanation
A beetle is a dark, shiny, hard-shelled insect. Your garden-loving grandmother will be distressed when she discovers her prize roses are infested with hungry beetles. A beetle usually has pincers or a biting mouth in front and wings that are hard and protective, forming a kind of shell or armor over its body. There are around 400,000 different species of beetles, and they make up a quarter of all known animals. The beetles people are most familiar with are garden pests, nibbling on plants and flowers. The Old English word for beetle, bitela, literally means "little biter."
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.
Japanese red elder plants protect their own survival by dropping fruits that contain Heterhelus beetle larvae.
From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026
The cuticular hydrocarbons have another function: they form a waxy barrier that prevents the beetle from drying out.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
Then the beetle seeks out an ant — climbing on top of it, clasping its antennae in its jaws and scooping up its pheromones with brush-like legs.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026
People can also volunteer to survey trees for signs of the dreaded beetle, allowing them to “do something instead of just worrying about it,” Nobua-Behrmann said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2026
The stone was shaped like a beetle, flat enough to be concealed by the grass but bulky enough to catch a toe if you hit it the right way.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
