carpet beetle

noun

: any of several small dermestid beetles (genera Anthrenus and Attagenus) whose larvae are destructive especially to woolen goods

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Airing out the mattress is a good start to taming those troublesome particles, as is removing the carpets and giving them a good beating with a fireplace poker or baseball bat, which can shake out carpet beetle dung and other nasty things. —

Gregory Mcnamee, CNN, 20 Mar. 2021 Along with the ticks, the team found microscopic hairs from carpet beetle larvae, creatures that are commonly found in birds’ nests today. —

John Pickrell, National Geographic, 12 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carpet beetle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.