earworm

[ eer-wurm ]

noun

a tune or part of a song that repeats in one’s mind.

verb (used with object)

to work (itself or its way) into a person’s mind: The Pepsi jingles have earwormed their way into my head.

Origin of earworm

First recorded in 1980–85; loan translation of German Ohrwurm “catchy tune, earwig”

Other definitions for earworm (2 of 2)

earworm²

[ eer-wurm ]

noun

corn earworm.

Origin of earworm

First recorded in 1880–85; ear² + worm (in the sense “small creeping animal”)

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

How to use earworm in a sentence

It is the same as the corn ear-worm or the cotton boll-worm, and bores into green or ripening fruits.
The Tomato | Paul Work

British Dictionary definitions for earworm

earworm

/ (ˈɪəˌwɜːm) /

noun

informal an irritatingly catchy tune

Origin of earworm

C20: from German Ohrwurm earwig

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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