tent caterpillar

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noun

any of the larvae of several moths of the genus Malacosoma, which feed on the leaves of orchard and shade trees and live colonially in a tentlike silken web.

the North American larva of M. disstria(forest tent caterpillar ), which spins a dense net.

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Origin of tent caterpillar

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Words nearby tent caterpillar

tentage, tentation, tentative, tentatively, tent bed, tent caterpillar, tent circus, tent city, tent dress, tented, tenter

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tent caterpillar in a sentence

Wedged between two marble buildings at the lavishly designed Lincoln Center, sits a single white tent.
How the Circus Got a Social Conscience|Justin Jones|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While quarantined, she was seemingly powerless to challenge her banishment to a tent in Newark.
Are Mandatory Ebola Quarantines Legal?|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But there remains an underlying air of stress, from the media tent to the concession stands.
Beyonce, Jay Z & No Doubt Sing to End Global Poverty in Central Park|Caitlin Dickson|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Santorum embraced a more pragmatic big-tent approach to these candidates.
Rick Santorum on ISIS & the Lack of Baptist Jihadis|Ben Jacobs|September 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The smaller “Flood Wall Street” eschewed the big-tent approach and focused on radical politics and aggressive activism.
Occupy Climate Change! Hundreds Blame Capitalism at Flood Wall Street Rally|Jacob Siegel|September 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Duchess had also a tent for their sick men; so that we had a small town of our own here, and every body employed.
The Life and Most Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, of York, Mariner (1801)|Daniel Defoe
Two young lovers were exchanging their hearts' yearnings beneath the children's tent, which they had found unoccupied.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
The children possessed themselves of the tent, and Mrs. Pontellier went over to join them.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
It was a sad day for Ramona and Alessandro when the kindly Hyers pulled up their tent-stakes and left the valley.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
They lived at first in a tent; no time to build a house, till the wheat and vegetables were planted.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for tent caterpillar

tent caterpillar

noun

the larva of various moths of the family Lasiocampidae, esp Malacosoma americana of North America, which build communal webs in trees

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