weevil
Americannoun
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weevils
plural
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Also called snout beetle. any of numerous beetles of the family Curculionidae, which have the head prolonged into a snout and which are destructive to nuts, grain, fruit, etc.
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any of numerous related beetles.
noun
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Also called: snout beetle. any beetle of the family Curculionidae, having an elongated snout (rostrum): they are pests, feeding on plants and plant products See also boll weevil
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Also called: pea weevil, bean weevil. any of various beetles of the family Bruchidae (or Lariidae ), the larvae of which live in the seeds of leguminous plants
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any of various similar or related beetles
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of weevil
before 900; Middle English wevel, Old English wifel; cognate with Old High German wibil beetle; akin to wave
Explanation
A weevil is a type of small beetle with a distinctively long snout. Because some species of weevils are famous for destroying large amounts of crops or stored grains, weevils are usually considered pests. There are thousands of weevil species, nearly all of which feed only on plants. These little insects have caused a lot of trouble over the years. In the early 1900s, cotton fields in the South became infested with nonnative boll weevils, which devour cotton buds and flowers. Over the years, weevils have cost farmers billions of dollars in lost crops — and if you've ever been horrified to find tiny bugs in your rice or flour, they were probably weevils. But many weevil species are beneficial to humans, serving as pollinators and weed control.
Vocabulary lists containing weevil
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.
See Examples For:
With the boll weevil finishing off King Cotton, paper producers’ “plant ’em thick, cut ’em quick” approach spread.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
They had been described as moth larvae, butterfly larvae, and even weevil larvae.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 26, 2026
They noted some browning in the slender green shoots of the seedlings, and spotted a beetle-like insect — a weevil — that appeared to be responsible for the damage.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 16, 2023
They have to make sure there is nowhere for the boll weevil to live until cotton is planted again in late March.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 7, 2022
They spread slug and weevil bait in April.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
They included a number of vivid green and pinkish-orange darkling beetles from China and Laos, and four long-snouted weevils from South Africa.
From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2023
And other insects need also beware, including termites, red palm weevils, whiteflies and other agricultural nuisances.
From Salon ● Mar. 12, 2023
“Back when we started, we’d catch so many weevils in a trap that we couldn’t count them,” said Lindy Patton, president and chief executive of the foundation.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 7, 2022
Department of Agriculture lifted a 1914 import ban, which originally was implemented due to fears over pests like seed weevils infesting U.S. crops.
From Salon ● May 28, 2022
Besides boll weevils, rain is just about the worst thing that can happen at harvest time.
From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett
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