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Synonyms

spider

American  
[spahy-der] / ˈspaɪ dər /

noun

  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.

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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • spiderless adjective
  • spiderlike adjective

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

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."

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Vocabulary lists containing spider

List 1

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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.

Experts are blaming the trend on a sharp increase in the noble false widow spider, which has been described as "the most dangerous spider breeding in Britain".

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

NHS figures show that there were 100 hospital admissions in 2025 linked to spider bites - up from 47 in 2015.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Grace teams up with Rocky, a brilliant alien engineer who looks like a cross between a spider and a rock, and is the size of a Labrador.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"Insects and arachnids are more than objects of fear," says Walsh, who sports a beautiful spider tattoo on his arm.

From Science Daily • Mar. 14, 2026

“Grandpa, do we not face troubles today?” the younger spider said.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.