black widow

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noun

a venomous spider, Latrodectus mactans, widely distributed in the U.S., the female of which is jet-black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of its abdomen.

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Origin of black widow

First recorded in 1910–15

Words nearby black widow

blackwater rafting, black wattle, blackweed, Blackwell, black whale, black widow, Blackwood, blackwork, blacky, blad, bladder

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

How to use black widow in a sentence

The world that Black Dynamite lives in is not the most PC place to be in.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Music is a huge part of the tone of Black Dynamite overall—going back to the original 2009 movie on which the series is based.
‘Black Dynamite’ Presents Police Brutality: The Musical|Stereo Williams|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
How far has Congress really evolved on race when in 50 years it has gone from one black senator to two?
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Even the arguably more democratic House is only at 10 percent black members.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST

But in the case of black women, another study found no lack of interest.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Suddenly, however, he became aware of a small black spot far ahead in the very middle of the unencumbered track.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Do not the widow's tears run down the cheek, and her cry against him that causeth them to fall?
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
The lady in black was reading her morning devotions on the porch of a neighboring bathhouse.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Sometimes it was a young girl, again a widow; but as often as not it was some interesting married woman.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The lady in black, creeping behind them, looked a trifle paler and more jaded than usual.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin

British Dictionary definitions for black widow

black widow

noun

an American spider, Latrodectus mactans, the female of which is black with red markings, highly venomous, and commonly eats its mate

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