click beetle

American

noun

any of numerous beetles of the family Elateridae, having the ability to spring up with a clicking sound when placed on their backs.

click beetle British

noun

Also called: snapping beetle, skipjack. any beetle of the family Elateridae, which have the ability to right themselves with a snapping movement when placed on their backs See also wireworm

"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 click beetle

First recorded in 1860–65

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