carpet beetle

noun

any of several small beetles of the family Dermestidae, the larvae of which are household pests, feeding on rugs and other woolen fabrics, especially Anthrenus scrophulariae(buffalo carpet beetle ) and Attagenus piceus(black carpet beetle ).

Origin of carpet beetle

First recorded in 1885–90

Also called carpet bug .

Words Nearby carpet beetle

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

How to use carpet beetle in a sentence

The carpet beetle is a recognized foe of the housekeeper, the larv feeding upon all sorts of woolen material.
A Civic Biology | George William Hunter
And there's the carpet-beetle, whose babies eat carpets unless your mother tempts them with pieces of red flannel.
Little Busybodies | Jeanette Augustus Marks and Julia Moody
In experimenting on beetles, an insect was secured as nearly the size of the carpet beetle as could be found.
Scientific American, Volume 40, No. 13, March 29, 1879 | Various
Watch edges of carpets and rugs for the carpet beetle and the "Buffalo bug."
Scouting For Girls, Official Handbook of the Girl Scouts | Girl Scouts

British Dictionary definitions for carpet beetle

carpet beetle

noun

any of various beetles of the genus Anthrenus, the larvae of which feed on carpets, furnishing fabrics, etc: family Dermestidae

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

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