vermin
Americannoun
plural
vermin-
noxious, objectionable, or disgusting animals collectively, especially those of small size that appear commonly and are difficult to control, as flies, lice, bedbugs, cockroaches, mice, and rats.
-
an objectionable or obnoxious person, or such persons collectively.
-
animals that prey upon game, as coyotes or weasels.
noun
-
(functioning as plural) small animals collectively, esp insects and rodents, that are troublesome to man, domestic animals, etc
-
an unpleasant, obnoxious, or dangerous person
Etymology
Origin of vermin
1300–50; Middle English vermyne < Anglo-French, Middle French vermin, vermine < Vulgar Latin *verminum, *vermina, based on Latin vermin-; see verminate
Compare meaning
How does vermin compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Vermin is a catch-all term that can be used for any small animals or insects that we think of as pests. The cockroaches you found in your bathroom were the grossest vermin you'd ever seen. The word vermin originally came from the Anglo-French word of the same spelling, meaning "noxious animals" — definitely a negative term. Rats, mice, cockroaches, along with pests to farmers and the animals they raise, like coyotes and weasels, are vermin. Annoying people who cause problems are also sometimes called vermin, like the vermin who bully others.
Vocabulary lists containing vermin
Bud, Not Buddy
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"The Metamorphosis," Vocabulary from the novella
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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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.
It also involves the ability to communicate with stressed customers who want insects and vermin gone — and the stomach to accomplish the task.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 28, 2026
Army, had unleashed on Peter and a fellow soldier while they were hospitalized: mind control through miniature vermin.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 9, 2026
They were sued by several units in 2023 and 2024 over living conditions, including allegations of infestations of rats, vermin and cockroaches that tenants said made their lives “a living hell.”
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025
The collapse of super-leveraged U.S. companies First Brands and Tricolor, and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon’s subsequent vermin warning, have affected financial names on both sides of the Atlantic.
From Barron's • Oct. 25, 2025
She was sitting so close to my bed that I asked her to move away for fear that the vermin that were eating her might invade it.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
