dung beetle
noun
: a beetle (such as a tumblebug) that rolls balls of dung in which to lay eggs and on which the larvae feed
Examples of dung beetle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The measure would also classify the Carolina mantis as the state predator insect and the rainbow scarab, a dung beetle, as the soil conservation insect.
—
Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice, 17 Feb. 2026
In the Oval Office, under the gold leaf, the president and his advisers are making a big list of possibilities:
The sun might be on the back of a big beetle—a dung beetle, maybe.
—Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
An hour into the bush and a dung beetle had already pushed its namesake orb across our path.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
And some dung beetles use the Milky Way to find their way at night, but for the much simpler task of going in a straight line over a short distance, which does not really compare with the moths’ long journey to a highly specific destination.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 June 2025
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Barbara Hoberock, Oklahoma Voice, 17 Feb. 2026
In the Oval Office, under the gold leaf, the president and his advisers are making a big list of possibilities:
The sun might be on the back of a big beetle—a dung beetle, maybe.
—Alexandra Petri, The Atlantic, 14 Feb. 2026
An hour into the bush and a dung beetle had already pushed its namesake orb across our path.
—AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025
And some dung beetles use the Milky Way to find their way at night, but for the much simpler task of going in a straight line over a short distance, which does not really compare with the moths’ long journey to a highly specific destination.
—Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dung beetle
Cite this Entry
“Dung beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dung%20beetle. Accessed 24 Feb. 2026.
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