1
: a grub that is the wood-boring larva of any of numerous beetles (as a click beetle, longicorn beetle, buprestid, or weevil) compare apple tree borer
2
: a borer (as the peach tree borer) that is the larva of any of various lepidopterous insects and especially of a clearwing moth or a goat moth
3
: a borer that is the larva of a horntail (family Siricidae)
4
: any of several bivalve mollusks (as the teredos and members of the genus Xylophaga) that bore in wood
5
: any of several small crustaceans (as the gribble) that bore in wood
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share