spruce budworm

[ buhd-wurm ]

/ ˈbʌdˌwɜrm /

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noun

the larva of a common tortricid moth, Choristoneura fumiferana, that is a destructive pest primarily of spruce and balsam fir in the northern and northeastern U.S. and in Canada.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

their

there

they're

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of spruce budworm

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby spruce budworm

sprout, Spruance, spruce, spruce beer, spruce beetle, spruce budworm, spruce grouse, spruce pine, spruce sawfly, spruce-up, sprucy

Example sentences from the Web for spruce budworm

I was sitting so low, even the permafrost-stunted spruce trees towered over me.
Visiting the Arctic Circle…Before It’s Irreversibly Changed|Terry Greene Sterling|April 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A decade ago, they decided for a holiday botox spruce-up mit smooth-out.
The Deadliest Botox Has Arrived|Kent Sepkowitz|October 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In Long Beach, the good old Queen Mary and Spruce Goose could finally sail again.
California Sinkin’: What Rising Sea Levels Will Mean for the Golden State|Alex Klein|June 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Unfortunately, the FDNY is too busy to tell you how to avoid turning your 10-foot spruce into a 10-foot match.
Christmas Trees on Fire: The Best PSA (VIDEO)|Brittany Jones-Cooper|December 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Scattergood fairly licked his lips as he thought of the millions upon millions of feet of spruce to be sawed into lumber.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
Also, ownership of vast limits of growing spruce was necessary to the control of the valley.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
There are sixty thousand acres of mighty good spruce in that triangle between us, and it's as good as ours.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland
And so Antler took courage and grasping a strong branch of a friendly spruce struggled through the deep snow.
The Later Cave-Men|Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
Now we're looking about for somebody to supply us spruce cut to the proper length for pulpwood.
Scattergood Baines|Clarence Budington Kelland

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