boll weevil
noun
: a usually grayish or brown weevil (Anthonomus grandis) that feeds on the squares and bolls of the cotton plant
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Nobody ever thought about how life would change on farms once mankind figured out a way to eradicate--that was the word used--the little boll weevil.
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Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
The boll weevil decimated cotton crops in the South, leading to the closure of the exchange in 1920.
—Jim Halley, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026
But in the early 1930s, an infestation of boll weevils destroyed the cotton and tanked the local economy.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025
The story starts in 1915 when cotton farmer Robert Beall moved from Georgia to Florida to escape a boll weevil infestation that had devastated his crops.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 3 June 2025
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Arkansas Online, 19 Mar. 2026
The boll weevil decimated cotton crops in the South, leading to the closure of the exchange in 1920.
—Jim Halley, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026
But in the early 1930s, an infestation of boll weevils destroyed the cotton and tanked the local economy.
—Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025
The story starts in 1915 when cotton farmer Robert Beall moved from Georgia to Florida to escape a boll weevil infestation that had devastated his crops.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for boll weevil
Cite this Entry
“Boll weevil.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boll%20weevil. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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