ant

noun

\ 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

Winged ants: These are often confused with termites. — Doreen Christensen, sun-sentinel.com, "Termite tips: How to identify, kill and prevent the voracious pests," 10 June 2019 Budding peonies secrete nectar that ants, in turn, rely on for food. — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "Fact or Fiction: Do Peonies Attract Ants?," 27 Mar. 2019 Once again, nature might hold the answer: the neurobiological phenomenon known as the hive mind, found famously in the most industrious of the world’s creatures—the ant. — Joe Lindsey, Popular Mechanics, "'Game of Thrones' Science: How Do Wights Work?," 26 Apr. 2019 And roboticists aren’t just scrutinizing the forms of nature, but behaviors as well—the most epic being those of ants, of course. — Matt Simon, WIRED, "How Roboticists Are Copying Nature to Make Fantastical Machines," 28 June 2018 According to the University of Missouri's Integrated Pest Management, peonies do, in fact, attract ants—but why? — Blair Donovan, Country Living, "Fact or Fiction: Do Peonies Attract Ants?," 27 Mar. 2019 Cockroaches are not their only targets; there are parasitoid wasps that lay their eggs in spiders, caterpillars and ants. — Christie Wilcox, Scientific American, "How a Wasp Turns Cockroaches into Zombies," 1 May 2017 Then things she'd only seen in movies: twinkling skyscrapers with vast crowds walking between them like ants. — Todd Pitman, Fox News, "6 Years Gone: Myanmar woman escapes brutal China captivity," 6 Sep. 2018 Surely some nearby ants or hummingbirds got a whiff, right? — Angela Watercutter, WIRED, "Rampage: 14 Unanswered Questions About the Rock’s New Movie," 16 Apr. 2018

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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Statistics for ant

Last Updated

17 Jun 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for ant

The first known use of ant was before the 12th century

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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