Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

inchworm

American  
[inch-wurm] / ˈɪntʃˌwɜrm /

noun

  1. a caterpillar that moves along by bringing the rear end of its body forward and then advancing the front end, a motion known as looping; the larva of any geometrid moth.


inchworm British  
/ ˈɪntʃˌwɜːm /

noun

  1. another name for a measuring worm

"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 inchworm

First recorded in 1860–65; inch 1 + worm

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.

An army’s progress across country is compared to “the movement of an inchworm, which stretches forward to a spot, then waits while the rest of its body catches up.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

This should make it possible for it to, for example, wander across a surface -- similar to an inchworm that pulls itself along a branch in its own characteristic style.

From Science Daily • Oct. 19, 2023

And only a psychopath would raise a shoe to an inchworm, ladybug or other plausible picture-book protagonist.

From Washington Post • Aug. 23, 2022

Then walk your hands back toward your feet, stand, and dare any pint-size relatives to try — just try! — to inchworm faster than you.

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2019

It advanced like an inchworm, hunching up in the middle.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan