Definition of cockroach
: any of an order or suborder (Blattodea synonym Blattaria) of chiefly nocturnal insects including some that are domestic pests — compare German cockroach
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Recent Examples of cockroach from the Web
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Checkbook found companies that charge $150 or less for a single treatment for cockroaches, while others charge $250 or more.
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Compared with other insects, the genome of the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is the second largest sequenced to date after the locust.
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Worse still is when tiny, humanoid fairies buzz around like obnoxious, food-stealing cockroaches.
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Like the locust, much of the cockroach genome, some 60%, is made of repetitive elements—sequences of DNA that occur over and over.
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Unfortunately for the envenomated cockroach, that's simply too long.
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One of them, teeming with cockroaches, leaves me squirming but our daughter squealing with gross-out glee.
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The home was infested with cockroaches, mice, rats and bedbugs, and had a strong odor of feces, according to the release, which did not provide the location of the residence.
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Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill's office says a Speedway nursing home was so infested that when a resident died in September, police and medics found cockroaches crawling from her body.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cockroach.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of cockroach
by folk etymology from Spanish cucaracha cockroach
COCKROACH Defined for English Language Learners
Definition of cockroach for English Language Learners
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: a black or brown insect that is sometimes found in people's homes
COCKROACH Defined for Kids
Definition of cockroach for Students
: a black or brown insect that is active chiefly at night and can be a troublesome pest in homes
Medical Dictionary
medical Definition of cockroach
: any of an order or suborder (Blattodea synonym Blattaria) of chiefly nocturnal insects including some that are domestic pests — see blatta, blattella, periplaneta
Illustration of cockroach
Learn More about cockroach
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See words that rhyme with cockroach Spanish Central: Translation of cockroach Nglish: Translation of cockroach for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cockroach for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cockroach
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