caterpillar
1 Americannoun
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the wormlike larva of a butterfly or a moth.
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a person who preys on others; extortioner.
noun
noun
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an endless track, driven by sprockets or wheels, used to propel a heavy vehicle and enable it to cross soft or uneven ground
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a vehicle, such as a tractor, tank, bulldozer, etc, driven by such tracks
Etymology
Origin of caterpillar
1400–50; late Middle English catyrpel, probably alteration of an Old North French variant of Old French chatepelose, equivalent to chate cat ( def. ) + pelose hairy (≪ Latin pilōsus; pilose ); -yr probably by association with cater tomcat ( caterwaul ); final -er probably by association with piller despoiler ( pillage, -er 1 ); chenille
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.
They are being carried by Crawler‑Transporter‑2, a low‑slung, tank‑like vehicle on caterpillar tracks that Nasa built in 1965 to inch Saturn V Moon rockets to the pad.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
If you’ve ever glimpsed a caterpillar dangling from a branch by a silk thread, they’re on their way down.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
Chalamet’s caterpillar mustache, which he grew for his upcoming film “Marty Supreme,” made the perfect finishing touch to complete the look.
From Salon • Jan. 28, 2025
A train cruises by their window at night like a caterpillar, the yellow windows of separate lives in other buildings illuminating its way.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2024
I looked for the caterpillar but could not see it.
From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez
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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.