ground beetle
noun
: any of a large cosmopolitan family (Carabidae) of soil-inhabiting usually carnivorous often shiny black or metallic beetles commonly having fused elytra
Examples of ground beetle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The show includes an 1887 drawing of the magnified parts of a ground beetle, a reminder of the rich natural detail that would mark her stories.
—
J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022
Because ground beetles are nocturnal and more active during night hours, Will typically started his sampling days just before sunset and ended them between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. In September of that year, Maddison and Sproul finished collecting and analyzing the beetle’s DNA.
—Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2023
Potter’s scientific drawings of a ground beetle, ca. 1887.
—J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022
This is perhaps the most unusual beetle in the hugely diverse Carabidae family of ground beetles.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2020
Natural controls of spiders, big-eyed bugs, ground beetles and a variety of parasites already in your lawn may help eliminate these turf pests.
—Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 22 June 2019
Tick off the number and species of each organism observed, such as centipedes, ground beetles, and spiders.
—Julie Monahan, Good Housekeeping, 9 Sep. 2015
Location: China Du’an Karst, a system of limestone caves in China’s Guangxi province, is a veritable kingdom of cave-dwelling ground beetles.
—Sean Greene, latimes.com, 23 May 2018
This one was found in a cave in Guangxi province, and southern China is home to many caves and ground beetles.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 23 May 2018
See More
J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022
Because ground beetles are nocturnal and more active during night hours, Will typically started his sampling days just before sunset and ended them between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. In September of that year, Maddison and Sproul finished collecting and analyzing the beetle’s DNA.
—Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post, 31 Mar. 2023
Potter’s scientific drawings of a ground beetle, ca. 1887.
—J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 21 Jan. 2022
This is perhaps the most unusual beetle in the hugely diverse Carabidae family of ground beetles.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2020
Natural controls of spiders, big-eyed bugs, ground beetles and a variety of parasites already in your lawn may help eliminate these turf pests.
—Tom MacCubbin, orlandosentinel.com, 22 June 2019
Tick off the number and species of each organism observed, such as centipedes, ground beetles, and spiders.
—Julie Monahan, Good Housekeeping, 9 Sep. 2015
Location: China Du’an Karst, a system of limestone caves in China’s Guangxi province, is a veritable kingdom of cave-dwelling ground beetles.
—Sean Greene, latimes.com, 23 May 2018
This one was found in a cave in Guangxi province, and southern China is home to many caves and ground beetles.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN, 23 May 2018
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ground beetle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1848, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near ground beetle
Cite this Entry
“Ground beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ground%20beetle. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on ground beetle
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ground beetle
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share