termite
Americannoun
noun
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Any of various pale-colored insects of the order Isoptera that live in large colonies and feed on wood. Termites resemble ants in their appearance, manner of living, and social organization, but are not closely related. Termites can be very destructive to wooden buildings and structures.
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Also called isopteran
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of termite
1775–85; taken as singular of New Latin termites, plural of termes white ant, Latin tarmes wood-eating worm
Explanation
A termite is a tiny insect that can cause big problems. Termites eat wood, and they can severely damage buildings. If you have termites in your house, you'd better call an exterminator. Termites live in large colonies, like ants, and they have a habit of remaining concealed from view. These characteristics, along with their taste for wood, mean they often destroy wooden houses or other structures from the inside, leaving a thin layer of wood that hides the destruction until it's too late to stop it. In some places, it's common for people to eat termites.
Vocabulary lists containing termite
Amazing Animals, A-Z
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Amazing Animals, List 2
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocabulary for May 6–May 12, 2023
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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.
In laboratory testing, the treatment killed about 95 percent of a colony without the mammal toxicity concerns linked to many traditional termite control methods.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2026
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have shown that bistrifluron, a chemical that blocks the formation of new termite exoskeletons, can destroy drywood termite colonies by interfering with the insects' ability to grow.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2026
In this method, pest control workers drill into infested wood, reach the termite "gallery" or hiding area, and inject insecticide directly inside.
From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026
Named Cryptotermes mobydicki, the termite was described by an international research team led by a University of Florida scientist.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
When you consider the size of an individual termite, photographed standing alongside his nest, he ranks with the New Yorker and shows a better sense of organization than a resident of Los Angeles.
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
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.
