beetle

¹ American  

[beet-l] / ˈbit l /

noun

1. any of numerous insects of the order Coleoptera, characterized by hard, horny forewings that cover and protect the membranous flight wings.

2. (loosely) any of various insects resembling the beetle, as a cockroach.

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verb (used without object)

beetled, beetling

1. Chiefly British. to move quickly; scurry.

   He beetled off to catch the train.

beetle ² American  

[beet-l] / ˈbit l /

noun

1. a heavy hammering or ramming instrument, usually of wood, used to drive wedges, force down paving stones, compress loose earth, etc.

2. any of various wooden instruments for beating linen, mashing potatoes, etc.

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verb (used with object)

beetled, beetling

1. to use a beetle on; drive, ram, beat, or crush with a beetle.

2. to finish (cloth) with a beetling machine.

beetle ³ American  

[beet-l] / ˈbit l /

adjective

1. projecting; overhanging.

   beetle brows.

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verb (used without object)

beetled, beetling

1. to project; jut out; overhang.

   a cliff that beetles over the sea; his mustache and beetling brows; thick eyebrows beetling over blue eyes.

2. to hang or tower over in a threatening or menacing manner.

   The prospect of bankruptcy beetled over him.

beetle ¹ British  

/ ˈbiːtəl /

noun

1. a heavy hand tool, usually made of wood, used for ramming, pounding, or beating

2. a machine used to finish cloth by stamping it with wooden hammers

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verb

1. to beat or pound with a beetle

2. to finish (cloth) by means of a beetle

beetle ² British  

/ ˈbiːtəl /

noun

1. any insect of the order Coleoptera , having biting mouthparts and forewings modified to form shell-like protective elytra

2. a game played with dice in which the players draw or assemble a beetle-shaped form

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verb

1. informal to scuttle or scurry; hurry

beetle ³ British  

/ ˈbiːtəl /

verb

1. (intr) to overhang; jut

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adjective

1. overhanging; prominent

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

Example Sentences

Japanese red elder plants protect their own survival by dropping fruits that contain Heterhelus beetle larvae.

From Science Daily • Mar. 12, 2026

“So the kind of behavior and cell biology that’s required to integrate the beetle into the nest is the very thing that stops it ever leaving the colony,” Parker said, describing it as a “Catch-22.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 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

So when one comes up to a beetle wearing its own chemical suit, so to speak, it accepts it.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

It was a dead bug, a beetle, he said, even though it sort of looked like a cockroach.

From Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

Related Words

• ant
• aphid
• bee
• butterfly
• cockroach
• dragonfly
• flea
• fruit fly
• gnat
• grasshopper
• ladybug
• mite
• mosquito
• moth
• pest
• spider
• termite
• tick