pill bug

American

noun

any of various small terrestrial isopods, especially of the genera Armadillidium and Oniscus, which can roll themselves up into a spherical shape.

pill bug British

noun

any of various woodlice of the genera Armadillidium and Oniscus, capable of rolling up into a ball when disturbed

"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

Etymology

Origin of pill bug

An Americanism dating back to 1835–45

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:

pill bug

A pill bug could be shown in a scene and people will be like "That's Javi!"

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2023

A new species of giant deep-sea isopod—a cousin to the common pill bug but more than 10 inches long—was found hiding in plain sight.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 5, 2022

Sepp Blatter, FIFA's twinkly pill bug of a president, wasted no time in welcoming the delegates to Thursday's World Cup soiree.

From Slate ● Dec. 2, 2010

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