centipede
Americannoun
noun
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Any of various flattened, wormlike arthropods of the class Chilopoda, whose bodies are divided into many segments, each with one pair of legs. The front legs are modified into venomous pincers used to catch prey.
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Compare millipede
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of centipede
From the Latin word centipeda, dating back to 1595–1605. See centi-, -pede
Compare meaning
How does centipede compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A centipede is a poisonous bug with many tiny legs. If you can bring yourself to look closely at a centipede, you'll see its body is divided into segments, each having one pair of legs. Most people assume that centipedes are insects, but they're actually arthropods, tiny invertebrate animals with exoskeletons and segmented bodies — and a seriously squicky number of legs. The profusion of little legs is what gives the centipede its name; the Latin is centipeda, "many-footed arthropod," from centum, "hundred," and pedis, "foot." Despite their name, centipedes can have anywhere from 30 to over 300 legs.
Vocabulary lists containing centipede
Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: cent
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cent (hundred), mill (thousand)
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ped, pod (foot)
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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.
See Examples For:
During one observation, a centipede preyed on the distracted isopods while they remained caught in the swirling formation.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026
Since replacing windows can cost enough arms and legs to make a human centipede, it’s worth looking into adding interior insulating layers to your existing windows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
The mamma centipede may have a face like a David Cronenberg nightmare, but she's a devoted parent, curling around the wriggly bits of multi-legged spaghetti she calls her offspring to protect them.
From Salon ● May 11, 2025
It was a centipede, which is venomous, she and other evacuees in the shelter told me.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2023
They moved in rhythm, like the legs of centipede but without the actual centipede body.
From "The Last Last-Day-of-Summer" by Lamar Giles
"From what I've learned, house centipedes are harmless and actually beneficial because they prey on other household pests," she said.
From BBC ● May 10, 2025
Snakes make up most of the images, but human figures, centipedes, alligators, other animals, and geometric motifs also appear.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 3, 2024
In 2022, for example, CBP found live centipedes concealed inside earphone cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2024
The contraption was cradled on a transport mechanism that resembles several long mechanical centipedes, but with wheels, 288 in all, instead of feet.
From New York Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
I think of the centipedes that used to crawl over my bed last summer, and think we are like them, with so many legs.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
