Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Venus's-flytrap

American  
[vee-nuh-siz-flahy-trap] / ˈvi nə sɪzˈflaɪˌtræp /
Or Venus's flytrap

noun

  1. former names of the Venus flytrap.


Venus's-flytrap British  

noun

  1. an insectivorous plant, Dionaea muscipula, of Carolina, having hinged two-lobed leaves that snap closed when the sensitive hairs on the surface are touched: family Droseraceae See also sundew pitcher plant butterwort

"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

Etymology

Origin of Venus's-flytrap

An Americanism dating back to 1770–80

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.

It takes little imagination to see the Venus's-flytrap that Steinem could have grown from that seedling.

From Time Magazine Archive

"The New Yorker is kind of like the Venus's-flytrap," says one staffer.

From Time Magazine Archive

It is also the story of ever-maudlin Ken, a kind of tame Venus's-flytrap, whom Amanda keeps around less for biological than for decorative reasons.

From Time Magazine Archive

By crossing a butterwort with a Venus's-flytrap, Seymour creates a new plant type, which he calls Audrey Jr. and which, it happens, feeds on human blood.

From Time Magazine Archive

W. S. W.—Your florist friend will know better than we can tell you in what way to procure you a plant of the Venus's-flytrap.

From Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various