earthworm

American  

[urth-wurm] / ˈɜrθˌwɜrm /

noun

• earthworms
  plural

1. any one of numerous annelid worms that burrow in soil and feed on soil nutrients and decaying organic matter.

2. Archaic. a mean or groveling person.

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earthworm British  

/ ˈɜːθˌwɜːm /

noun

1. any of numerous oligochaete worms of the genera Lumbricus, Allolobophora, Eisenia, etc, which burrow in the soil and help aerate and break up the ground

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Regionalisms

The earthworm, a commonly used bait for angling, is also called an angleworm in the Northern U.S. and a fishworm in the Northern and Midland U.S. and in New England. It is called a fishing worm in parts of the Midland and Southern U.S., and a wiggler in the Southern U.S. Because the worm often comes to the surface of the earth when the ground is cool or wet, it is also called a nightwalker in New England, a nightcrawler, chiefly in the Northern, North Midland, and Western U.S., and a dew worm, chiefly in the Inland North and Canada. It is also called a red worm in the North Central, South Midland, and Southern U.S.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• earthworms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of earthworm

First recorded in 1400–50, earthworm is from the late Middle English word ertheworm. See earth, worm

Explanation

An earthworm is a small, legless, tube-shaped animal that lives in soil. Gardeners are familiar with earthworms, which are common in healthy garden dirt. Earthworms are not only happy to burrow in the dirt of your garden, they're also incredibly useful — they improve the fertility of soil by converting its organic matter to humus, which helps plants grow. The burrowing of an earthworm is also good for the soil's structure, introducing small tunnels that allow it to drain and air to circulate throughout. They may not be pretty, but earthworms are very helpful.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

earthworm earthworms

Laboratory tests showed that enzymes from very distantly related animals, including a sponge, an earthworm and a springtail, could also degrade microbial PHAs.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

In a wordless two-page spread, a dog lopes solemnly toward the pickle, trailed by a mournful earthworm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

On smoothness and softness alone, this rules out any strong structural relation between an earthworm and Chalamet’s sandworm, which in the films appears to have some sort of free-edged plate ringing its body instead.

From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2024

They found alien earthworm species in 97% of studied soils across North America, with alien occupation higher in the northern part of the continent and lower in the south and west.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 9, 2024

Justin carefully peeled back the sides of the earthworm to reveal the gray gizzard, the glistening reproductive parts, like miniature white beans fresh from the can.

From "The Thing About Jellyfish" by Ali Benjamin

Burning reed beds is a quick way to restore them, but everyone knew it should be avoided because it killed soil invertebrates, such as snails and earthworms.

From Slate ● Apr. 28, 2026

Now living in a clean, cold-water tank and fed on earthworms, Kev has grown from two inches to 12.

From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026

Now we get the “Slow-Lows,” bottom-feeders who slither on the ground and survive off leftovers from other creatures: earthworms or other easy-to-catch prey.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025

Save the pandas is a more popular slogan than save the earthworms, and most people likely care more about protecting flowers than a rare grass or fungi.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2024

Slimy pink earthworms covered the sidewalk and the road, and we tried avoiding them as we walked, but you noticed one get squashed beneath a cyclist’s tire.

From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman