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• caterpillar
  caterpillar

  noun

  the wormlike larva of a butterfly or a moth.
• Caterpillar
  Caterpillar

  a tractor intended for rough terrain, propelled by two endless belts or tracks that pass over a number of wheels.

caterpillar

¹ American  

[kat-uh-pil-er, kat-er-] / ˈkæt əˌpɪl ər, ˈkæt ər- /

noun

• caterpillars
  plural

1. the wormlike larva of a butterfly or a moth.

2. a person who preys on others; extortioner.

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Caterpillar ² American  

[kat-uh-pil-er, kat-er-] / ˈkæt əˌpɪl ər, ˈkæt ər- /

Trademark.

1. a tractor intended for rough terrain, propelled by two endless belts or tracks that pass over a number of wheels.

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caterpillar ¹ British  

/ ˈkætəˌpɪlə /

noun

1. the wormlike larva of butterflies and moths, having numerous pairs of legs and powerful biting jaws. It may be brightly coloured, hairy, or spiny

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Caterpillar ² British  

/ ˈkætəˌpɪlə /

noun

1. an endless track, driven by sprockets or wheels, used to propel a heavy vehicle and enable it to cross soft or uneven ground

2. a vehicle, such as a tractor, tank, bulldozer, etc, driven by such tracks

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caterpillar Scientific  

/ kăt′ər-pĭl′ər /

1. The wormlike larva of a butterfly or moth. Caterpillars have thirteen body segments, with three pairs of stubby legs on the thorax and several on the abdomen, six eyes on each side of the head, and short antennae. Caterpillars feed mostly on foliage and are usually brightly colored. Many have poisonous spines.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• caterpillars
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of caterpillar

1400–50; late Middle English catyrpel, probably alteration of an Old North French variant of Old French chatepelose, equivalent to chate cat ( def. ) + pelose hairy (≪ Latin pilōsus; see pilose); -yr probably by association with cater tomcat ( see caterwaul); final -er probably by association with piller despoiler ( see pillage, -er ¹); cf. chenille

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Explanation

A caterpillar is a fuzzy, worm-like insect that transforms into a butterfly or a moth. Many caterpillars are striped and colorful. A caterpillar is officially the larva, or immature form, of a flying insect — generally, a butterfly. Because caterpillars are growing rapidly, they tend to eat constantly, and for this reason they're considered pests by gardeners and farmers. The word caterpillar comes from the Old North French caterpilose, literally "shaggy cat," from the Late Latin catta, "cat," and pilosus, "hairy" or "shaggy."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caterpillar Caterpillar caterpillars

Butterfly Conservation said was most likely caused by ermine moth caterpillars, which feed inside the webs and "are the definition of a hungry caterpillar".

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

A delay of just a few days sharply lowers caterpillar survival and cuts feeding damage to the trees by about 55 percent.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

Trefry likened this awkward time of life to the stage in a butterfly’s development when a caterpillar disappears inside a chrysalis and dissolves into goo before reforming into something entirely new.

From Salon ● Nov. 24, 2025

If you’ve ever glimpsed a caterpillar dangling from a branch by a silk thread, they’re on their way down.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

“You’re quite a stranger these days, as the caterpillar said to the butterfly.”

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Looking ahead, Caterpillar continues to expect total sales and revenue to grow in the mid- to high-teens range for the year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The Dow industrials declined 0.3%, hurt by a revenue miss at Caterpillar, which lost 9%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

Shares of Caterpillar were suffering Thursday, turning the Dow Jones Industrial Average negative, as investors expressed disappointment over a slight miss in third-quarter sales.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

Wall Street projects strong third-quarter sales and earnings growth for Caterpillar.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

“But Caterpillar could have explained without breaking hers.”

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

“You know: butterflies, moths, caterpillars, birds. That would do a lot to make this landscape come alive.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

In exchange, the ants aggressively protect their host plants from leaf-eating insects such as caterpillars.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Too much bracken inhibits the growth of the dog violet, the food source for the caterpillars.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Julie was raising some caterpillars too, and she cared a lot about them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

I went through it, page by page, studying all the pictures and running my fingers lightly over the caterpillars and the bright wings of the butterflies and the many patterns on them.

From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez

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