katydid
Americannoun
-
katydids
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of katydid
An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; imitative
Explanation
A katydid is a type of grasshopper with extra-long antennae. You can hear katydids on summer nights making a loud, three-note sound. Like grasshoppers and crickets, katydids make noise by rubbing body parts together — in their case, by moving a leg against a wing and producing a sound that resembles their name. Katydids have also been known as "wide-horned grasshoppers," for the antennae that are often longer than their bodies. These insects are nocturnal and use camouflage, disguising themselves as green leaves to stay safe from predators.
Vocabulary lists containing katydid
Starfish
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Summer of the Monkeys
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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:
This observation appears to be the first documented case of a katydid completing a full color transition within a single stage of its life.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 2026
The Mormon cricket is not a true cricket but a shield-backed katydid.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2023
The insects, which technically aren't crickets, are members of the katydid family and don't sting or bite.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2023
Most katydid species are expertly camouflaged among vegetation to avoid the multitude of predators, and many of them have yet to be identified.
From The Guardian ● May 27, 2019
There was not a peep to be heard but katydid noises outside in the deep, black night.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Zookeepers will need to coax every bird, reptile, fish and mammal - from the largest rodents in the world to the greenest katydids - to the weighing scale.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Pink katydids have been recorded in scientific literature since 1878, but they have usually been viewed as rare and disadvantageous mutations.
From Science Daily ● May 2, 2026
This allows their brains to assemble dynamic images of the size, shape, distance and motion of the zigzagging moths and plummeting katydids that are their prey.
From New York Times ● Dec. 11, 2020
Grasshoppers and katydids can be repelled with Surround WP.
From Seattle Times ● May 27, 2020
As we sat listening to the katydids, singing loud as they came out into the wetness, the moon lit up a layer of fog below us.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
