flea beetle

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noun

any leaf beetle of the genera Haltica, Epitrix, etc., the various species of which have the rear legs adapted for jumping.

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Origin of flea beetle

First recorded in 1835–45

Words nearby flea beetle

fl. dr., fldxt, flea, fleabag, fleabane, flea beetle, fleabite, flea-bitten, flea collar, flea-flicker, fleam

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

How to use flea beetle in a sentence

Blister rust is like having the flu; the pine beetle is like fast acting leukemia.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2007, FWS reported that the beetle outbreak had affected only 16 percent of the whitebark pines.
What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear|Doug Peacock|November 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Beetle was launched with a series of television commercials unlike any before them.
Nationalism on Four Wheels|Clive Irving|October 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And it all began with a young model rooting through Paris flea markets to find something that made her feel good.
Tatiana Sorokko Is the Queen of Vintage Couture|Anthony Haden-Guest|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

I grew up in New York and there was a Caldor that had a Sunday flea market.
The TV Superhero Guru Behind ‘The Flash’|Jason Lynch|October 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her feet crush creeping things: there is a busy ant or blazoned beetle, with its back broken, writhing in the dust, unseen.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
But strangest of all the dishes at the Tagal's feast was one prepared from a kind of beetle.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
On feeling the bite of the flea, thrust the part bitten immediately into boiling water.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Then the juice would fill up the hole the beetle had made, and the tree would go on growing as before.
The Wonder Book of Knowledge|Various
There was a toy balloon, a beetle that ran all over the room in a life-like manner, a jumping jack, and some popcorn balls.
The Story of the Big Front Door|Mary Finley Leonard

British Dictionary definitions for flea beetle

flea beetle

noun

any small common beetle of the genera Phyllotreta, Chalcoides, etc, having enlarged hind legs and capable of jumping: family Chrysomelidae . The larvae of many species are very destructive to turnips and other cruciferous vegetables

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