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Synonyms

termite

American  
[tur-mahyt] / ˈtɜr maɪt /

noun

  1. any of numerous pale-colored, soft-bodied, chiefly tropical social insects, of the order Isoptera, that feed on wood, some being highly destructive to buildings, furniture, etc.

termite British  
/ ˈtɜːmaɪt, tɜːˈmɪtɪk /

noun

  1. Also called: white ant.  any whitish ant-like social insect of the order Isoptera, of warm and tropical regions. Some species feed on wood, causing damage to furniture, buildings, trees, etc

"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
termite Scientific  
/ tûr′mīt′ /

  1. 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.

  2. Also called isopteran

Other Word Forms

  • termitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of termite

1775–85; taken as singular of New Latin termites, plural of termes white ant, Latin tarmes wood-eating worm

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.

They have no teeth and instead of biting and chewing, they use their long tongues to lap up thousands of ants or termites a day in the wild.

From BBC

The guilt, at this point, was devouring him like a horde of termites.

From Literature

A friend recommended a carpenter, who helped with the termites and trickier renovations.

From The Wall Street Journal

He lives in a company-owned apartment full of dark, polished surfaces and bad modern art; she lives in a rundown apartment furnished with termites.

From Los Angeles Times

Because age, termites and water had attacked wooden beams, the house sat unattached on its foundation; it has been reaffixed, and moisture levels controlled.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.