Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Brazilian wandering spider

noun

Definition of Brazilian wandering spider 

: any of a genus (Phoneutria) of large, venomous, nocturnal spiders of tropical South America that do not build webs and actively hunt prey by traveling on the ground

Note: Brazilian wandering spiders adopt a characteristic aggressive defense posture in which their front legs are raised straight up into the air.

Along the way we meet some scary hairies, among them a Brazilian wandering spider, the most dangerous spider in the world, we're told, with venom 18 times as potent as a black widow's …— Chip Crews, Washington Post, 11 Feb. 2006

— called also banana spider

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

First Known Use of Brazilian wandering spider

1995, in the meaning defined above

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about Brazilian wandering spider

Share Brazilian wandering spider

Resources for Brazilian wandering spider

Cite Time Traveler Time Traveler! Explore the year a word first appeared

Statistics for Brazilian wandering spider

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for Brazilian wandering spider

The first known use of Brazilian wandering spider was in 1995

See more words from the same year

Comments on Brazilian wandering spider

What made you want to look up Brazilian wandering spider? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

millefleur

having a pattern of small flowers

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Find the Cousins

  • a-large-tree-with-many-branches
  • Which pair shares a common word ancestor?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games