corn borer

American

noun

any of several pyralid moths, as Pyrausta (ostrinia ) nubilalis European corn borer, the larvae of which bore into the stem and crown of corn and other plants.

corn borer British

noun

the larva of the pyralid moth Pyrausta nubilalis, native to S and Central Europe: in E North America a serious pest of maize

"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 corn borer

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

In 1996, U.S. regulators approved corn that was genetically engineered to produce bug-killing proteins, accomplished by inserting a bacterium hostile to the corn borer insect into the plant genome.

From Reuters • Sep. 27, 2017

MON810 produces a toxin that protects it from the European corn borer.

From Science Magazine • May 22, 2012

Chilly springs in this major corn-growing region used to hold back the hatching of Asian corn borer.

From Scientific American • Apr. 2, 2012

Spain grew 80 percent of the biotech corn, designed to resist a pest called the corn borer, produced in Europe last year.

From New York Times • Jul. 7, 2010

Needless to say, the results of all this work are now jeopardized as the enemies of the corn borer are killed off by the sprays.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

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