ant
noun
\
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
: 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-
prefixDefinition of ant- (Entry 4 of 6)
— see anti-
-ant
noun suffixDefinition 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 suffixDefinition 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
Study lead author Martin Nyffeler, a zoologist at the University of Basel in Switzerland, said that birds – along with other natural enemies such as spiders and ants – contribute greatly to natural insect pest suppression. — Doyle Rice, ajc, "Yum! Birds eat up to 550 million tons of insects each year," 9 July 2018 Turns out there’s plenty of buzz about bugs, such as ways to manage pests and the interactions among, say, ants and plants and ticks and humans. — Erin Blakemore, Washington Post, "This website is crawling with bug news," 17 June 2018 Levin is genuinely fascinated by animals, but that fascination is comingled with fear (of mountain lions and coyotes) and disdain (for lice and ants and, yes, raccoons). — David Ferry, San Francisco Chronicle, "Food critic Rachel Levin contemplates close encounters of the animal kind," 7 June 2018 My eyes watched the busy ground, flexing with ant highways and beetles, jumpy locusts and white butterflies. — Andrew Evans, chicagotribune.com, "Feel the pull of the prairie on a uniquely American safari in Montana," 5 July 2018 An official statement said an emergency Cabinet meeting held late on Thursday and chaired by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi named the country's ant-graft chief as the commission's leader. — Fox News, "Iraq to probe possible irregularities in May 12 elections," 25 May 2018 His job was to look at society as an ant farm—population: several billion—and wonder how to ethically steer and manipulate the human mind. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, "It's Time for Tech Companies to Build More Humane Products," 20 Mar. 2018 Some of the most popular items on birds' menus include beetles, flies, ants, moths, aphids, grasshoppers and crickets. — Doyle Rice, ajc, "Yum! Birds eat up to 550 million tons of insects each year," 9 July 2018 In short, here's how to get intimate like an ant: Be a queen. — Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, "For Americans, it’s the Fourth of July. For Brits, it’s Flying Ant Day.," 4 July 2018These 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.
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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 suffixEnglish Language Learners Definition of -ant (Entry 2 of 3)
: a person or thing that does a specified thing
-ant
adjective suffixEnglish 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
\
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.
abbreviationKids Definition of ant.
antonym
ant-
Kids Definition of ant-
see anti-
-ant
noun suffixKids Definition of -ant
(Entry 1 of 5)
1 : one that does or causes a certain thing deodorant
2 : thing that is acted upon in a certain way
-ant
adjective suffixKids Definition of -ant (Entry 2 of 5)
1 : doing a certain thing or being a certain way observant
2 : causing a certain action
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