water bug

noun

: any of various small arthropods and especially insects that frequent damp or wet places: such as
c
: any of various large aquatic bugs (family Belostomatidae) with the hind legs flattened and used for swimming

Examples of water bug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
These tadpoles seem to have found strength in numbers, swarming past attacks from water bugs and leeches to continue nibbling on food—and any other appealing organisms that passed by. Liz Lindqwister, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 July 2024 After mating, a female water bug lays 100 or more eggs in a clump on the male’s back. Ben Guarino, Popular Science, 13 June 2024 During another federal monitor inspection, visitors found unsanitary conditions including live roaches, ants, water bugs, fruit flies, gnats, and mouse droppings. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 9 May 2024 But, because so many arrived in a short period of time, the possibility of the water bugs starting a population on Cyprus is not out of the question, the researchers said. Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024 His business, Urban Pest Management, handles everything from water bugs to pigeons but has recently come to specialize in rats. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 13 Jan. 2023 Maybe that’s why there haven’t been water bugs in the hole. John Schandelmeier, Anchorage Daily News, 16 Apr. 2023 Here, a man is eating a fried water bug in Thailand. Discover Magazine, 15 Jan. 2015 What clarified my thinking: a giant, probably mutant water bug that crept across the bedroom floor. Katharine K. Zarrella, WSJ, 9 Sep. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1745, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of water bug was in 1745

Dictionary Entries Near water bug

Cite this Entry

“Water bug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20bug. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

water bug

noun
: any of various insects that live in or near water or in moist places
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