pinworm

noun

pin·​worm ˈpin-ˌwərm 

1

: any of numerous small nematode worms (family Oxyuridae) that infest the intestines and especially the cecum of various vertebrates

especially : a worm (Enterobius vermicularis) parasitic in humans

2

: any of several rather slender insect larvae that burrow in plant tissue

Examples of pinworm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These methods sort through the DNA in a sample looking for specific genes that are signatures of parasites like pinworms, as well as bacterial pathogens. —Veronique Greenwood, Time, 24 Oct. 2025

For Capone, this high precedence of pinworm was incredibly surprising, given that the samples were over 1,000 years old and the DNA would have been highly degraded over such a long period of time. —Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 22 Oct. 2025

That burden typically clocks in at fewer than five pinworms per chipmunk, which isn’t enough to do any serious damage to the hosts. —Kate Golembiewski, Discover Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024

But pinworms are most often found in preschool-aged children, says De Latour, and the worms are about the thickness of a dime — a far cry from the thick, lengthy, creepy-crawlies seen in the TikTok Shop videos. —Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 20 Sep. 2023

Itching in the anal area is the most common indication of a pinworm infection. —Samantha Lauriello, Health, 9 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pinworm

noun

pin·​worm -ˌwərm 

: any of numerous small roundworms that infest the intestines of various vertebrates

especially : one that infests human beings

Medical Definition

pinworm

noun

pin·​worm ˈpin-ˌwərm 

: any of numerous small nematode worms of the family Oxyuridae that have the tail of the female prolonged into a sharp point and infest the intestines and especially the cecum of various vertebrates

especially : a worm of the genus Enterobius (E. vermicularis) that is parasitic in humans