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earworm

1
[ eer-wurm ]
/ ˈɪərˌwɜrm /
Informal.
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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.
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Origin of earworm

1
First recorded in 1980–85; loan translation of German Ohrwurm “catchy tune, earwig”

Words nearby earworm

Other definitions for earworm (2 of 2)

earworm2
[ eer-wurm ]
/ ˈɪərˌwɜrm /

noun

Origin of earworm

2
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

British Dictionary definitions for earworm

earworm
/ (ˈɪəˌwɜːm) /

noun
informal an irritatingly catchy tune

Word Origin for 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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