aphid

noun

ˈā-fəd How to pronounce aphid (audio)
 also  ˈa-fəd
: any of numerous very small soft-bodied homopterous insects (superfamily Aphidoidea) that suck the juices of plants

Examples of aphid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Outdoor spiders are hard at work, devouring home and garden pests such as ants, flies, mosquitoes, aphids, and thrips. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025 Farmers in Jenkins County, like many farmers, face numerous insect infestations, including stink bugs, cotton bollworms, corn earworms, tarnished plant bugs and aphids. Atin Adhikari, The Conversation, 23 Sep. 2025 Although mites are arachnids, the most common garden insect pests, namely aphids, scales, mealybugs, and whiteflies, all suck from plant foliage with stylets. Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 20 Sep. 2025 Endophytes can be unpredictable; for example, increasing rather than decreasing aphid infestation of beans and wheat, as noted in research from Denmark, or switching from beneficial to parasitic depending on water availability, as Hawkes witnessed. Anna Marija Helt, JSTOR Daily, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for aphid

Word History

First Known Use

1827, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of aphid was in 1827

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Cite this Entry

“Aphid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aphid. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

aphid

noun
ˈā-fəd How to pronounce aphid (audio)
 also  ˈaf-əd
: any of numerous small soft-bodied insects that suck the juices of plants

More from Merriam-Webster on aphid

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