bull ant

American

noun

bulldog ant.

bull ant British

noun

Also called: bulldog ant. any large Australian ant of the genus Myrmecia , having a powerful stinging bite: subfamily Ponerinae

"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

Etymology

Origin of bull ant

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

Easily, thus: Zeus was the Father, but, in each case, was the Father by an amour in which he wore the form of the Totem-snake, swan, bull, ant, dog, or the like.

From The Making of Religion by Lang, Andrew

The Yeomanry did a lot of useful work, and are as eager for fight as a bull ant on a hot plate.

From Campaign Pictures of the War in South Africa (1899-1900) Letters from the Front by Hales, A. G. (Alfred Greenwood)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023