leafcutter ant

British

/ ˈliːfˌkʌtə /

noun

any of various South American ants of the genus Atta that cut pieces of leaves and use them as fertilizer for the fungus on which they feed

"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

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.

A leafcutter ant carrying a flower petal inside a new exhibit in the American Museum of Natural History’s insectarium.Credit...

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2023

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023