earthworm

earth·worm | \ ˈərth-ˌwərm

How to pronounce earthworm (audio)

\

Definition of earthworm

: a terrestrial annelid worm (class Oligochaeta) especially : any of a family (Lumbricidae) of numerous widely distributed hermaphroditic worms that move through the soil by means of setae and feed on decaying organic matter

Examples of earthworm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Fetzer Vineyards in Mendocino, Calif., is trialing a Chilean invention named BioFiltro, a process of spraying wastewater into giant bins filled with earthworms that clean water in four hours. — Elin Mccoy, Bloomberg.com, "Boxed Wine and Vodka Made From CO2: The Green Future of Booze," 10 May 2020 The trout, familiar perhaps with the fishermen and their assortment of faux fish and frogs, swam right past the imitation earthworm with barely a glance. — John Marshall, azcentral, "Community fishing's a popular outlet during pandemic," 6 May 2020 According to Hisham, sea cucumbers are crucial to the marine ecosystem, performing similar functions to earthworms in the land ecosystem. — K A Shaji, Quartz India, "India readies the world’s first safe zone for sea cucumbers," 5 May 2020 Abundant earthworms will hold the birds into the fall season, and entice migrating woodcock to stop after a night's travel. — Tom Fegely, Field & Stream, "Don’t Miss the Woodcock’s Spring Courtship Flight," 13 Apr. 2020 There are also reports suggesting the sturgeons may be adapting to their changing environment by shifting from a diet of less abundant bottom dwellers, like clams, to more plentiful earthworms. — National Geographic, "Chinese sturgeon," 25 Feb. 2020 Worm composting, or vermicomposting, leaves most of the heavy lifting to earthworms who eat their weight in food scraps every day. — Tirion Morris, azcentral, "Want to start composting this Earth Day? Here are 5 tips from metro Phoenix gardeners," 15 Apr. 2020 Full Worm Moon '' because as the weather warms and the ground softens, earthworms begin to appear, attracting robins—a sign of spring. — Isabel Garcia, House Beautiful, "A “Full Worm Moon” Is Happening on March 9, Marking the Beginning of Spring," 3 Mar. 2020 Some, like robins, switch from earthworms and insects to fruits and berries. — Don Lyman, BostonGlobe.com, "How do animals survive long winters?," 24 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'earthworm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about earthworm

Dictionary Entries near earthworm

Statistics for earthworm

Last Updated

1 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Earthworm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earthworm. Accessed 5 Jun. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

rendition

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

May 2020 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of exiguous?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.