black widow

noun

: a venomous New World spider (Latrodectus mactans of the family Theridiidae) the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen

broadly : any of various related venomous spiders that have a large globular, usually glossy, dark abdomen often marked with red and long and wiry legs

Illustration of black widow

Examples of black widow in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Southern black widow sets up shop close to the ground, whereas a Northern black widow often prefers a higher place to weave a web. —Eva Flowe may 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026

She's rumored to be a black widow who has inherited a lot of money from her husbands. —Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 17 May 2026

In the United States, spiders that are dangerous to people include the brown recluse, which carries a necrotic toxin that destroys tissue, and the black widow, which has a special neurotoxin that damages nerve cells. —Matthew Cordes, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026

This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for black widow

• kiddo

Kids Definition

black widow

noun

: a poisonous New World spider the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen

Medical Definition

black widow

noun

black wid·​ow -ˈwid-ˌō 

: a venomous New World spider of the genus Latrodectus (L. mactans) the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen

broadly : any other spider of the genus Latrodectus