backswimmer
noun
back·swim·mer
ˈbak-ˌswi-mər 
: an aquatic bug (family Notonectidae) that swims on its back
Examples of backswimmer in a Sentence
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When given a choice between a silent male water strider and a mating pair with a tapping male, the backswimmer always headed towards the vibrating duo.
—
Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2010
Each vibration risks attracting the attention of a hungry predator, like a fish or backswimmer (above).
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2010
The backswimmer menace is so potent that after a few minutes of tapping from the male, the female relents by opening her genital shield.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2010
But these aquatic water scavenger beetles do not swim like the backswimmer or the larvae.
—New York Times, 26 July 2021
The 0.01-inch-long water flea is able to change its body into a bigger (and thus more inedible) shape when threatened by a predator, like the tiny backswimmer, says Anne Estes, a microbiologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
—National Geographic, 12 Nov. 2016
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Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2010
Each vibration risks attracting the attention of a hungry predator, like a fish or backswimmer (above).
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2010
The backswimmer menace is so potent that after a few minutes of tapping from the male, the female relents by opening her genital shield.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 10 Aug. 2010
But these aquatic water scavenger beetles do not swim like the backswimmer or the larvae.
—New York Times, 26 July 2021
The 0.01-inch-long water flea is able to change its body into a bigger (and thus more inedible) shape when threatened by a predator, like the tiny backswimmer, says Anne Estes, a microbiologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
—National Geographic, 12 Nov. 2016
Dictionary Entries Near backswimmer
Cite this Entry
“Backswimmer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backswimmer. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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backswimmer
noun
back·swim·mer
-ˌswim-ər
: any of a family of bugs that live in the water and swim on their backs
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