moth
Americannoun
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moths
plural
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any of numerous insects of the order Lepidoptera, generally distinguished from the butterflies by having feathery antennae and by having crepuscular or nocturnal habits.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of moth
before 950; Middle English motthe, Old English moththe; akin to German Motte, Old Norse motti
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:
She’s about to play a moth in a musical called “The Insects.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
But drought, pesticides and habitat destruction triggered an unprecedented collapse that began in 2017, eventually wiping out an estimated 99.5 percent of the Bogong moth population.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
I had gravitated to the color like a moth to light, seeking the dopamine hit of its glow, as if by osmosis I could absorb and become it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
A moth circling a porch light evolved to navigate by the moon; the bulb is an “evolutionary novelty” with which its ancestors never had to contend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
“I really loved that moth, too. That one was my favorite.”
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
While the Bogong migration continued in the years following the population crash, scientists were aghast at how few moths were making the journey.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Photos showed how the endangered moths clustered together so densely inside their caves, it was impossible to see the rock beneath.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
A day after the fire broke out Wednesday,Raman put out a statement saying her office had flagged the property to the mayor’s office 10 moths ago, but nothing was done.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
He lists a particular genus of moths christened Eucosoma bobana followed by E. cocana, E. dodana, E. fofana and so on, in singalong fashion for 23 more variations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
A wild desire gripped her to fly as far as she could from Weep—a hundred moths, a hundred directions—to fly and fly till sunrise came and turned her to smoke and all her misery, too.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
