dung beetle

American  

noun

1. any of various scarab beetles that feed on or breed in dung.

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dung beetle British  

noun

1. any of the various beetles of the family Scarabaeidae and related families that feed on or breed in dung

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Etymology

Origin of dung beetle

First recorded in 1625–35

Example Sentences

And when describing her underachieving brother’s shortcomings, she says, “He’s got the brains of a dung beetle and the ambitions of a French bureaucrat.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2025

The dung beetle, which disperses seeds as it rolls its dung balls, fertilizing topsoil and enhancing biodiversity and engineering its environment, normally orients itself using the Milky Way and the moon.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2025

Previously, a dung beetle and some hare remains had been the only signs of animal life at the site, Willerslev said.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 7, 2022

In ancient Egyptian writing and art, the image of a scarab, or dung beetle, expressed a whole concept of the afterlife and rebirth and was used in inscriptions as the verb “to become.”

From New York Times • Jan. 22, 2020

“Dung beetle, dung beetle, you must be afeared, so far from your dung,” they chanted.

From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman