moth

noun

ˈmȯth 

plural moths ˈmȯt͟hz  ˈmȯths 

1

: clothes moth

2

: any of various usually nocturnal lepidopteran insects with antennae that are often feathery, with a stouter body, duller coloring, and proportionately smaller wings than the butterflies, and with larvae that are plant-eating caterpillars

mothlike

ˈmȯth-ˌlīk 

adjective

mothy

ˈmȯ-thē 

adjective

Examples of moth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Praying mantises eat flies, moths, roaches, grasshoppers and more. —Madeline Bodin, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2025

The team also collected abundance data of the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana, a key grape pest, alongside insects that feed on plants and predatory arthropods in the grapevine canopy, and quantified fruit and leaf damage and other sorts of damages associated with these groups. —Grrlscientist, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025

The volatile oils that give bay leaves their distinct odor and flavors repel flies, moths, cockroaches, and even mice. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 June 2025

Without bees, moths, weevils, and more zooming around and spreading plants’ reproductive cells, plants and important crops would not grow. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 21 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mothe, from Old English moththe; akin to Middle High German motte moth

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing moth

• brown-tail moth
• cecropia moth
• cinnabar moth
• clearwing moth
• clothes moth
• codling moth
• death's-head hawk moth
• diamondback moth
• hawk moth
• imperial moth
• Io moth
• luna moth
• Mediterranean flour moth
• moth bean
• moth-eaten
• oriental fruit moth
• peppered moth
• silk moth
• sphinx moth
• spongy moth
• tiger moth
• tussock moth
• wax moth

Rhymes for moth

• broth
• cloth
• doth
• froth
• goth
• loth
• swath
• wroth
• broadcloth
• cheesecloth
• loincloth
• neckcloth

Kids Definition

moth

noun

ˈmȯth 

plural moths ˈmȯt͟hz  ˈmȯths 

: any of a group of night-flying insects that are lepidopterans often with duller coloring, stouter bodies, and smaller wings than the related butterflies and with antennae which are often feathery