a person or thing that annoys, esp by imposing itself when it is not wanted; nuisance
any organism that damages crops, injures or irritates livestock or man, or reduces the fertility of land
( as modifier )
pest control
rare an epidemic disease or pestilence
First recorded in 1545–55, pest is from the Latin word pestis plague
A pest is something or someone that bugs you. That annoying mosquito that keeps you up at night is a pest, and so is that younger brother who wants to control the TV remote. An unwanted, bothersome person is a pest — and so is an unwanted, bothersome bug. In fact, the "destructive or harmful insect" definition came before "annoying person," following the "plague or pestilence" meaning of pest. The Latin root is pestis, "deadly contagious disease." During the Late Middle Ages, when the bubonic plague killed a third of all humans, it was commonly known as "the pest."
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Pest controllers have reported a rise in callouts to cockroach infestations in Cardiff, with one company regularly getting five or six reports a week.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Pest control requires specialized expertise and non-repetitive work that’s done in the real world.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
Multiple messages left with Pest Control by The Wall Street Journal were not returned.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Clark Pest Control of Stockton, Crane Pest Control, and Orkin Services quickly settled with Ventura, Orange and Riverside counties and nine other California counties over allegations made against the trio in Contra Costa Superior Court.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 21, 2025
Meanwhile, the Department’s Plant Pest Control men had temporarily forgotten gypsy moths, for they had been busy launching an even more ambitious program in the South.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
