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ground beetle

noun
  1. any of numerous nocturnal, terrestrial beetles of the family Carabidae that feed chiefly on other insects.
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Origin of ground beetle

First recorded in 1840–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for ground beetle

Historical Examples

  • Consider the Carabus, or Ground-beetle, that fiery warrior among the insect people.

    The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles

    Jean Henri Fabre

  • He afterwards witnessed, in August, a similar emigration of myriads of a kind of ground-beetle (Amara vulgaris,).

British Dictionary definitions for ground beetle

ground beetle

noun
  1. any beetle of the family Carabidae, often found under logs, stones, etc, having long legs and a dark coloration
  2. any beetle of the family Tenebrionidae, feeding on plants and plant products
  3. any of various other beetles that live close to or beneath the ground
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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