lemming

noun

lem·ming | \ ˈle-miŋ

Definition of lemming

: any of various small short-tailed furry-footed rodents (such as genera Lemmus and Dicrostonyx) of circumpolar distribution that are notable for population fluctuations and recurrent mass migrations Lemmings are the locusts of mammals, and they will strip a habitat bare. Then, they begin migrating forward to find a new feeding ground, swarming over boulders, around trees, whatever stands in their way. If they run into a body of water, they try to swim across.— Natalie Angier

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Other Words from lemming

lemminglike \ ˈle-miŋ-ˌlīk

\ adjective

Lured by stock prices defying gravity and handsome bond yields, Americans have marched into the funds in lemminglike fashion. — Penelope Wang and David Pauly

Examples of lemming in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The main prey on her newfound home, meanwhile, is a type of rodent known as a lemming. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "A Young Arctic Fox Traveled From Norway to Canada in 76 Days," 3 July 2019 The animals, which have thick fur to survive cold environments and live to about age 4, eat fish, marine birds and small arctic rodents called lemmings. — Washington Post, "Arctic fox walked from Norway to Canada seeking a new home," 3 July 2019 Now the farmers are leaving or dying but the mass of men – from baristas at Starbucks in Concord to worker bees in Silicon Valley – have succumbed to the Faustian Bargain, putting even lemmings jumping off cliffs to shame. — Hasan Zillur Rahim, The Mercury News, "Opinion: Thoreau looms large on Independence Day," 3 July 2019 Foxes in Canada's Ellesmere Island eat mostly lemmings, which are small rodents. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "Scientists "speechless" after fox makes 2,176-mile, 76-day trek from Norway to Canada," 2 July 2019 Well, of course, the lemmings in the press spent the entire day painting the Tillerson firing as evidence of more White House dysfunction. — Fox News, "Is Pennsylvania special election a bellwether for midterms?," 15 Mar. 2018 What matters is adulation received from an emotional display before a packed sea of millionaire lemmings. — Fox News, "Excitement builds in Singapore over historic meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong Un," 12 June 2018 When lemmings are in plentiful supply, the owls will produce more eggs. — Mari A. Schaefer, Philly.com, "Snowy owls calling Philadelphia International Airport their winter home," 5 Mar. 2018 From my point of view, the proliferation of mindful everything (iPhone apps, triathlons, vacation destinations, weight loss programs, beauty products, mayonnaise) smells like lemmings. — Cindy Dampier, chicagotribune.com, "Mindfulness is not just a buzzword, it's a multibillion dollar industry. Here's the truth about the hype," 2 July 2018

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

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Last Updated

12 Sep 2019

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Time Traveler for lemming

The first known use of lemming was in 1713

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More Definitions for lemming

lemming

noun

Financial Definition of lemming

What It Is

A lemming is an investor who does whatever the crowd does.

How It Works

A lemming is a short, furry rodent that is noted for its tendency to migrate en masse, regardless of the danger of the location or the stupidity of the move.

Lemming investors follow the prevailing wisdom without really questioning that wisdom.

Why It Matters

In the investing world, people who follow the crowd for no particular reason are dubbed lemmings. Often, lemmings are individual investors who enter the market after prices have already run up, and they leave the market after prices have already fallen.

Contrarian investors are the opposite of lemmings; they love to do what's out of favor. They tend to buy when everyone else is selling, sell when everyone else is buying, and wait when everyone else is active. The result is that the contrarian often buys a cheap security that everyone else is calling a dog and sells a security that everyone else is clamoring to get into.

Source: Investing Answers

lemming

noun