tiger beetle

noun

any of numerous active, usually brightly colored beetles, of the family Cicindelidae, that prey on other insects.

Origin of tiger beetle

First recorded in 1820–30

Words Nearby tiger beetle

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

How to use tiger beetle in a sentence

Many of the species of Cicindela, or tiger beetle, will illustrate this mode of protection.
Little Masterpieces of Science: | Various
Perhaps the carnivorous larva of the tiger-beetle, or cicindela, is as ferocious a being as any in this state.
The Life of an Insect | Anonymous
At certain rotten trunks I was sure to get the curious little tiger beetle, Therates flavilabris.
The Malay Archipelago | Alfred Russell Wallace
It has very long legs, and prefers climbing among the foliage to living on the ground, like most varieties of the tiger-beetle.
Harper's Young People, July 20, 1880 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for tiger beetle

tiger beetle

noun

any active predatory beetle of the family Cicindelidae, chiefly of warm dry regions, having powerful mandibles and long legs

Origin of tiger beetle

C19: so called because it has patterned, sometimes striped, wing covers

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

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