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rhinoceros beetle

American

noun

any of several scarabaeid beetles, especially of the genus Dynastes, which comprises the largest beetles, characterized by one or more horns on the head and prothorax.

rhinoceros beetle British

noun

any of various scarabaeid beetles having one or more horns on the head, esp Oryctes rhinoceros , a serious pest on coconut plantations

"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 rhinoceros beetle

First recorded in 1675–85

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:

rhinoceros beetle

Some, like the caliper rhinoceros beetle, fence with long, straight points.

From New York Times ● Jan. 16, 2023

Chances are good that you would be startled to find a rhinoceros beetle perched over your bed one night.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 11, 2022

Guamanian ecologists fretted about the impact of the invasive brown tree snake on the island's bird population and the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle on its palms.

From Time ● Aug. 16, 2017

In one, a shiny rhinoceros beetle perches on a chunk of honeycomb.

From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2012

As the planter may find that rats or the rhinoceros beetle are the lesser evil, so should he be governed.

From The Cocoanut With reference to its products and cultivation in the Philippines by Lyon, William S. (Scrugham)

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