moth
Americannoun
-
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
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
At least in the sampled bottles, it was consistently the caterpillar of a single moth species.
From Science Daily • Apr. 26, 2026
“If you were a bumblebee, a moth, or a short-tongued solitary bee, how might you approach this bloom?”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026
The Natural History Museum’s Butterfly Pavilion is back, with up to 30 butterfly and moth species, as well as an assortment of California plants.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026
A similar two-year project in Perth and Stirling engaged more than 1,000 people and created 20 new areas of butterfly and moth habitat in urban and suburban areas.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
From across the dark field, the trailer’s windows glowed, beckoning me as if I had no more willpower than a moth drawn to a candle’s flame.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
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.
