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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
Marco Palermo, Travel + Leisure, 7 Nov. 2025
Smaller than a quarter of an inch, these insects look like tiny versions of their relatives, cicadas.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 4 Nov. 2025
Meanwhile, moths, mantises, and cicadas gather auditory information from similar appendages on their thoraxes or abdomens.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 16 Oct. 2025
For example, a tree buzzing with cicadas in my yard this summer is quite healthy but has one big, dead branch that has been an important way station for wildlife over the past 20 years.
—Steven Sullivan, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Cicada.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cicada. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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