beetle

1 of 5

noun (1)

bee·​tle ˈbē-tᵊl 

1

: any of an order (Coleoptera) of insects having four wings of which the outer pair are modified into stiff elytra that protect the inner pair when at rest

2

: any of various insects resembling a beetle

beetle

2 of 5

verb (1)

beetled; beetling ˈbē-tᵊl-iŋ 

intransitive verb

: to scurry like a beetle

editors beetled around the office

beetle

3 of 5

noun (2)

1

: a heavy wooden hammering or ramming instrument

2

: a wooden pestle or bat for domestic tasks

beetle

4 of 5

adjective

: being prominent and overhanging

beetle brows

beetle

5 of 5

verb (2)

beetled; beetling ˈbē-tᵊl-iŋ 

intransitive verb

: project, jut

to scale the beetling crags

—R. L. Stevenson

Synonyms

Verb (2)

• bag
• balloon
• belly
• billow
• bulge
• bunch
• jut
• overhang
• poke
• pooch [chiefly dialect]
• pouch
• pout
• project
• protrude
• stand out
• start
• stick out
• swell

Examples of beetle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Their diet includes beetles, hoppers and yes, crickets. —Kris Millgate, Field & Stream, 11 Apr. 2024

Still, among plant-eating beetles—which make up roughly a quarter of all beetle species—a clear pattern is emerging. —Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Apr. 2024

Pine beetle infestations have increased significantly as the climate has changed. —Adam Elmahrek, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024

Overcrowded by decades of fire suppression, dried out by drought and weakened by beetle infestations, forests now burn rapidly and so intensely that their natural ability to regenerate is vastly diminished. —Lydia Depillis, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

This head shape suggests the animal ate grubs -- which are the larval form of certain beetle species -- and other small insects, similar to frogs and salamanders. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024

Unfortunately, the beetles are considered strong fliers. —Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024

This is damage caused by a small beetle called a black twig borer. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 22 Mar. 2024

The birds also have struggled in Arizona as riparian areas have dried up and, more recently, after the release of a beetle that has destroyed habitat. —Hayleigh Evans, The Arizona Republic, 1 Mar. 2024

Adjective

So the annual allowable cut was reduced below pre-beetle-kill levels in 2015. —Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, 19 Jan. 2022

Verb

Black-and-yellow taxis beetled along Apollo Bunder, the road in front of the hotel. —Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English betylle, from Old English bitula; akin to bītan to bite

Noun (2)

Middle English betel, from Old English bīetel; akin to Old English bēatan to beat

Adjective

Middle English bitel-browed having overhanging brows, probably from betylle, bitel beetle

Verb (2)

verbal derivative of beetle entry 4

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

circa 1919, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1602, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing beetle

• ambrosia beetle
• Asian longhorn beetle
• Asian longhorned beetle
• bark beetle
• beetle-browed
• blister beetle
• burying beetle
• carpet beetle
• cereal leaf beetle
• click beetle
• Colorado potato beetle
• darkling beetle
• deathwatch beetle
• diving beetle
• dung beetle
• elm bark beetle
• elm leaf beetle
• flea beetle
• flour beetle
• furniture beetle
• ground beetle
• Japanese beetle
• khapra beetle
• long-horned beetle
• Mexican bean beetle
• oil beetle
• potato beetle
• rhinoceros beetle
• rove beetle
• sawyer beetle
• smaller European elm bark beetle
• snout beetle
• spotted cucumber beetle
• stag beetle
• tiger beetle
• tortoise beetle
• vedalia beetle
• water beetle
• whirligig beetle

Kids Definition

beetle

1 of 3 noun

bee·​tle ˈbēt-ᵊl 

1

: any of an order of insects having four wings of which the first pair are stiff cases that fold over and protect the second pair when at rest

2

: any of various insects resembling a beetle

beetle

2 of 3 adjective

: sticking out and hanging over

beetle brows

beetle

3 of 3 verb

beetled; beetling

ˈbēt-(ə-)liŋ

: to stick out or hang over

beetling cliffs

Etymology

Noun

Old English bitula "beetle," from the root of bītan "to bite" — related to bite

Adjective

Middle English bitel-browed "having overhanging brows," probably from bitel, betylle "beetle," from Old English bitula "beetle"