spider

American  

[spahy-der] / ˈspaɪ dər /

noun

• spiders
  plural

1. any of numerous predaceous arachnids of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs that serve as nests and as traps for prey.

2. (loosely) any of various other arachnids resembling or suggesting these.

3. any of various things resembling or suggesting a spider.

4. a frying pan, originally one with legs or feet.

5. a trivet or tripod, as for supporting a pot or pan on a hearth.

6. Machinery.

   1. a part having a number of radiating spokes or arms, usually not connected at their outer ends.

   2. Also called cross. (in a universal joint) a crosslike part pivoted between the forked ends of two shafts to transmit motion between them.

7. Digital Technology. a computer program that follows and catalogs links within websites in order to index web pages for a search engine.

8. an evil person who entraps or lures others by wiles.

9. a device attached to a cultivator, for pulverizing the soil.

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verb (used with object)

1. Digital Technology. to digitally survey (websites), following and cataloging their links in order to index web pages for a search engine.

   Her company spiders the web for cheap flights and vacation deals.

spider British  

/ ˈspaɪdə /

noun

1. any predatory silk-producing arachnid of the order Araneae, having four pairs of legs and a rounded unsegmented body consisting of abdomen and cephalothorax See also wolf spider trap-door spider tarantula black widow

2. any of various similar or related arachnids

3. a hub fitted with radiating spokes or arms that serve to transmit power or support a load

4. agriculture an instrument used with a cultivator to pulverize soil

5. any implement or tool having the shape of a spider

6. nautical a metal frame fitted at the base of a mast to which halyards are tied when not in use

7. any part of a machine having a number of radiating spokes, tines, or arms

8. Also called: octopus. a cluster of elastic straps fastened at a central point and used to hold a load on a car rack, motorcycle, etc

9. billiards snooker a rest having long legs, used to raise the cue above the level of the height of the ball

10. angling an artificial fly tied with a hackle and no wings, perhaps originally thought to imitate a spider

11. computing a computer program that is capable of performing sophisticated recursive searches on the internet

12. short for spider phaeton

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• spiderless
  adjective
• spiderlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• spiders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of spider

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English spithre, Old English spīthra, akin to spinnan “to spin”; cognate with Danish spinder. See spin

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Explanation

A spider is a small, eight-legged animal. Some people scream when they see a spider, but most of the time spiders won’t hurt you. You might think of spiders as falling into the category of "bugs," but they're not insects at all—spiders, like ticks and scorpions, are arachnids. Most spiders are harmless to people and helpful in controlling insect populations. Spiders feed on bugs that get caught in their sticky webs. The Germanic root of spider means "spinner." If you are terrified of spiders, you may suffer from arachnophobia, from the Latin arachnid, "spider," and phobia, "fear."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spider spiders

Those handling the money moved to break the funds up into smaller and smaller pieces, creating a spider web of transactions that is difficult for experts to track.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2026

Researchers at the University of British Columbia have identified two previously unknown species of sea spider, including one with hairy legs and striking red eyes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026

The discoveries mark the first new sea spider species formally described from the Salish Sea in nearly 100 years.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 25, 2026

The survey also uncovered Agyneta mollis, a tiny nationally rare money spider.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026

The spider turned slowly to face Nathan, raising one large leg at a time.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

To study the spiders' sleeping behavior, the team placed individual Portia fimbriata spiders in plastic dishes measuring 12 centimeters in diameter.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

Researchers want to understand what happens inside the brains of spiders and insects during sleep, and whether different sleep stages contribute to learning and other mental processes.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

The researchers examined whether the spiders displayed "sleep rebound," meaning they compensated for interrupted sleep by increasing their subsequent sleep.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

The team also conducted experiments to determine whether the spiders were genuinely asleep rather than simply sitting motionless.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

Nathan reminded himself that he had to talk to some spiders and left.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

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