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.

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inchworm British  

/ ˈɪntʃˌwɜːm /

noun

1. another name for a measuring worm

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Etymology

Origin of inchworm

First recorded in 1860–65; inch ¹ + worm

Example Sentences

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

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

From Washington Post

Consequently, elephant seals can only scooch like an inchworm, lifting their bodies high in the air, dragging in their hind flippers under that mass, and, finally, pulling themselves forward with their front limbs.

From Science Magazine

Meanwhile, someone has been leaving Ellie a series of finely wrought wood carvings: a lamb, a flower, an inchworm, an acorn.

From New York Times

It—or whoever was in it—arched like an inchworm, attempting to creep away.

From Literature