webworm

American

[web-wurm] / ˈwɛbˌwɜrm /

noun

the larva of any of several moths, as Hyphantria cunea fall webworm or Loxostege similalis garden webworm, which spins a web over the foliage on which it feeds.

Etymology

Origin of webworm

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800; web + 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.

The researchers found that the insect with the second-highest number of plant hosts is the fall webworm, a moth that is known to feed on 636 different plant species.

From Science Daily • Oct. 4, 2023

Likewise, American species are wreaking havoc abroad, including the fall webworm, which devastates thousands of acres of forest in China each year.

From National Geographic • Aug. 4, 2023

Field tests are being made in several countries: in France and Germany against larvae of the cabbage butterfly, in Yugoslavia against the fall webworm, in the Soviet Union against a tent caterpillar.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023