ant

\ ˈant

Definition of ant

(Entry 1 of 6)

: any of a family (Formicidae) of colonial hymenopterous insects with a complex social organization and various castes performing special duties

ants in one's pants

: impatience for action or activity : restlessness

ant

abbreviation (1)

Definition of ant (Entry 2 of 6)

1 antenna

2 antonym

Ant

abbreviation (2)

Definition of Ant (Entry 3 of 6)

Antarctica

ant-

prefix

Definition of ant- (Entry 4 of 6)

— see anti-

-ant

noun suffix

Definition of -ant (Entry 5 of 6)

1a : one that performs (a specified action) : personal or impersonal agent claimant coolant

b : thing that promotes (a specified action or process) expectorant

2 : one connected with annuitant

3 : thing acted upon (in a specified manner) inhalant

-ant

adjective suffix

Definition of -ant (Entry 6 of 6)

1 : performing (a specified action) or being (in a specified condition) somnambulant

2 : promoting (a specified action or process) expectorant

Examples of ant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Even Annihilation, in the third act, at the very end, that almost ant-like hole that Natalie Portman crawls into, that visual really struck me as being the same as Phase IV. — Geek's Guide To The Galaxy, WIRED, "Richard Stanley’s ‘Color Out of Space’ Is a Triumphant Return," 18 Apr. 2020 Pangolins—endangered, scaly, ant-eating mammals found in Asia and Africa about the size of domestic cats—are known to carry coronaviruses, Dan Challender wrote in an email. — National Geographic, "THE BEST OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX," 26 Mar. 2020 The lizards feed largely off ants but can’t digest the exoskeletons, giving them pot bellies that slow them down, facilitating their capture by generations of Texas children. — Alia Malik, ExpressNews.com, "UT San Antonio grad student joins fight to save a Texas icon — the ‘horny toad’," 27 Apr. 2020 There were many indelible moments including the opening of Episode 3, which depicts ants swarming a scoop of ice cream dropped on the sidewalk. — David Segal, New York Times, "‘Better Call Saul’ Season 5 Finale Recap: Close Calls," 20 Apr. 2020 That comes across in small moments of ambient weirdness, like the poetic prologue where ants assaulted Jimmy’s dropped ice cream. — James Hibberd, EW.com, "Better Call Saul vs. Breaking Bad: We decide which is better," 15 Apr. 2020 Lifestyle Australia reports that other members found the solution successfully eradicated ants in their home. — Isabel Garcia, House Beautiful, "Get Rid of Ants With This Simple Home Solution," 7 Feb. 2020 Tesla will also have to scare off or relocate wolves, bats, snakes, ants and lizards until construction is over. — Stefan Nicola, Bloomberg.com, "Tesla Gets Go-Ahead to Resume Clearing Forest in Germany," 25 Jan. 2020 The ants aren’t quite patient enough to let the electoral process take its course, though. — Elizabeth Preston, New York Times, "Sneezing Dogs, Dancing Bees: How Animals Vote," 2 Mar. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for ant

Noun

Middle English ante, emete, from Old English æmette; akin to Old High German āmeiza ant

Noun suffix

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from -ant, present participle suffix, from Latin -ant-, -ans, present participle suffix of first conjugation, from -a- (stem vowel of first conjugation) + -nt-, -ns, present participle suffix; akin to Old English -nde, present participle suffix, Greek -nt-, -n, participle suffix

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Dictionary Entries near ant

answer to a name

answer to (someone)

answer to (something)

Statistics for ant

Last Updated

19 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Ant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ant. Accessed 29 May. 2020.

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More Definitions for ant

ant

noun

English Language Learners Definition of ant

(Entry 1 of 3)

: a kind of small insect that lives in an organized social group

-ant

noun suffix

English Language Learners Definition of -ant (Entry 2 of 3)

: a person or thing that does a specified thing

-ant

adjective suffix

English Language Learners Definition of -ant (Entry 3 of 3)

: doing a specified thing or behaving in a specified way

See the full definition for -ant in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ant

noun

\ ˈant

Kids Definition of ant

: a small insect related to the bees and wasps that lives in colonies and forms nests in the ground or in wood in which it stores food and raises its young

ant.

abbreviation