fire ant

American

noun

any of several omnivorous ants, as the migrant Solenopsis geminata originating in tropical and subtropical South America, having a sting that produces a burning sensation.

fire ant British

noun

any mound-building predatory ant of the genus Solenopsis , of tropical and subtropical America, that can inflict a painful sting

"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 fire ant

First recorded in 1790–1800

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.

Santa Barbara County has spent a total of $15,000 eradicating local populations of red imported fire ants to prevent the invasive species from spreading.

From Los Angeles Times

Inexperienced pest management workers might try to pour liquid insecticide on red imported fire ant nests, Taravati said, but it’s not so simple.

From Los Angeles Times

When flooding hits a region where fire ants live, their survival response is to latch together to form a buoyant "raft" that floats and keeps the colony united.

From Science Daily

Acephate and malathion belong to a class of chemicals called organophosphates, which U.S. farmers have used for decades because they efficiently kill aphids, fire ants and other pests.

From Salon

A cane farmer has captured video of fire ants forming rafts to travel on flood waters across storm ravaged Queensland, aiding the spread of one of the world's most invasive species.

From BBC

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