pheromones

Cultural

Small molecules that, when released by one organism, act as chemical signals to induce a certain behavior in another organism. Scents that attract animals to each other in a mating process are an example of pheromones.

Example Sentences

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pheromones

They suspect the spider adds pheromones to the trap to lure and anger the green ants alone.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

Once the beetle turns its own pheromones off, it can’t turn them back on.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2026

When the pioneer Spruce bark beetles find a suitable host tree they release pheromones - chemical signals to attract fellow beetles and establish a colony.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025

Foraging for resources is an essential process for the daily life of an ant colony, and ants will self-organize using chemical pheromones.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 16, 2024

Most of the known pheromones are small, simple molecules, active in extremely small concentrations.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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