Illustration of assassin bug
assassin bug
noun
: any of a family (Reduviidae) of bugs that are usually predatory on insects though some (such as a kissing bug) suck the blood of mammals
called also reduviid
Examples of assassin bug in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the evergreen forests of Vietnam, researchers identified two new species of assassin bugs, Epidaus batxatensis and Epidaus konkakinhensis.
—
Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Unlike squash bugs, assassin bugs are solitary critters, and they’re rarely seen in groups.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2024
That's because this is a white-eyed assassin bug.
—cincinnati.com, 30 Apr. 2021
The creature was likely Triatoma infestans, a kissing bug—one of the almost 7,000 species of assassin bug that are now described.
—Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2018
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Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 12 Sep. 2025
Unlike squash bugs, assassin bugs are solitary critters, and they’re rarely seen in groups.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 June 2024
That's because this is a white-eyed assassin bug.
—cincinnati.com, 30 Apr. 2021
The creature was likely Triatoma infestans, a kissing bug—one of the almost 7,000 species of assassin bug that are now described.
—Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 21 Mar. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Assassin bug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assassin%20bug. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
assassin bug
noun
as·sas·sin bug
ə-ˈsas-ᵊn- 
: any bug of the family Reduviidae compare conenose
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