mud dauber

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noun

any of several wasps of the family Sphecidae that build a nest of mud cells and provision it with spiders or insects.

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Origin of mud dauber

An Americanism dating back to 1855–60

Words nearby mud dauber

mud bug, mudcap, mudcat, mud crab, mud crack, mud dauber, mudder, muddle, muddle along, muddled, muddlehead

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mud dauber in a sentence

He scrambled outside to find a 25-foot-wide crater just beyond the mud wall surrounding his family compound.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They described him as clad in black, his face smeared with mud.
Killer Eric Frein Held in Murdered Cop’s Cuffs|Michael Daly|October 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Knee deep in mud, sweat mixing with rain, they forced the Land Rover through the jungle.
The Original Ebola Hunter|Abby Haglage|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sheets of torrential rains pouring down over the Land Rover sent its four wheels plunging into the mud.
The Original Ebola Hunter|Abby Haglage|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

All around you are farms fields dotted with canted mud structures.
Whatever You Do Someone Will Die. A Short Story About Impossible Choices in Iraq|Nathan Bradley Bethea|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Aunt Ri, at her best estate, had never possessed a room which had the expression of this poor little mud hut of Ramona's.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
In some parts of Korea the houses were built of stout timbers, the chinks covered with woven cane and plastered with mud.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
The sun was palely shining upon dry, clean pavements and upon roads juicy with black mud.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
Frank leaped ashore and pushed the boat off, while Mayne held her by jamming the leeward oar into the mud.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
A cannon-ball crashed through the mud wall and bounded across the enclosure.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for mud dauber

mud dauber

noun

any of various wasps of the family Sphecidae, that construct cells of mud or clay in which they lay their eggs and store live insects as food for the developing larvaeSee also digger wasp

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