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Members of a family of insects, cicadas have a stout body, wide blunt head, two pairs of transparent wings, prominent compound eyes, and three simple eyes. Most of the 1,500 known species are found in tropical deserts, grasslands, and forests. Males produce loud noises by vibrating membranes near the base of the abdomen. Most North American cicadas produce rhythmical ticks, buzzes, or whines, though the "song" of some species is musical. Periodical cicadas, including the well-known 17-year cicada (often erroneously called the 17-year locust) and 13-year cicada appear in regular cycles. Their larvae burrow into the ground, where they remain for 13 or 17 years, feeding on juices sucked from roots. They then emerge in large numbers to live aboveground as adults for only a few weeks.
Examples of cicada in a Sentence
Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 23 June 2025
Instead, cicadas are also largely beneficial to the ecosystem, serving as a source of food source for birds and other predators.
—CBS News, 30 May 2025
Two types of cicadas commonly exist in the Eastern United States: annual cicadas, which emerge every year, and periodical cicadas, which emerge every 13 or 17 years, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 29 May 2025
The experiments did not harm the cicadas, co-author Naoto Nishida, now at the University of Tokyo, told New Scientist.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 2 May 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cicada.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cicada. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.
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