locust

noun lo·cust \ ˈlō-kəst \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Definition of locust

1 : short-horned grasshopper; especially : a migratory grasshopper often traveling in vast swarms and stripping the areas passed of all vegetation

2 : cicada

3 a : any of various leguminous trees: such as

(1) : carob 1

(2) : black locust

(3) : honey locust

b : the wood of a locust tree

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Recent Examples of locust from the Web

Like a locust, Sun Juong had consumed the entire collection.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Algren Award runner-up: "Most Best Happy Korean Bright Star" by Michelle Massie," 2 June 2018
People in Asia eat crickets, locusts, and scorpions, but most Westerners gag at the idea.

— alessandra potenza, The Verge, "Puke, poop, and sweat: a ranking of New York City’s grossest attractions," 9 May 2018
Most of the largest trees shading the river corridor — basswood, maple, ash and locusts with trunk diameters between 20 inches and 40 inches — will be preserved under a revised widening plan, Elliott said.

— don behm, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Concrete bed of Kinnickinnic River in Pulaski Park to be removed for recreational and safety upgrades," 7 May 2018
In tearing out the old concrete and brick, workers also took out 15 locust trees that provided shade on the mall.

— steve lord, Aurora Beacon-News, "Water Street Mall in downtown Aurora getting new look," 7 May 2018
Teller also outlined a scenario in which farmers could use machine-learning technologies to predict when pests like locusts, even though hundreds of miles away, could arrive and destroy a crop.

— jonathan vanian, Fortune, "Alphabet Research Arm X Wants to Apply Artificial Intelligence to Farming," 27 Mar. 2018
There, among the ruckus of frogs and locusts, a moment absent of human sound fell upon us.

— david frese, kansascity, "The last graduation, the last game, the last prom. Parents, are you ready for it? | The Kansas City Star," 27 Apr. 2018
In the heyday of Canada’s black gold rush, pumpjacks, spring-pole drills, and Canadian pole drilling rigs spread like a swarm of locusts across the gumbeds around Black Creek in Lambton County.

— claudia capos, BostonGlobe.com, "Black gold fever: Canada celebrates its 160-year oil heritage," 24 Apr. 2018
Throughout history, God has been blamed for a great many of things: famine, locusts, tsunamis, epic hangovers, but this one seems to be a first.

— brie schwartz, Redbook, "Kim Kardashian Thinks God Is To Blame For Her Pregnancy Weight Gain," 11 Dec. 2014

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

Origin and Etymology of locust

Middle English, from Anglo-French locuste, from Latin locusta

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, proboscis, vespine

LOCUST Defined for English Language Learners

locust

noun

Definition of locust for English Language Learners

: a type of grasshopper that travels in very large groups and that can cause great destruction by eating crops

LOCUST Defined for Kids

locust

noun lo·cust \ ˈlō-kəst \

Definition of locust for Students

1 : a grasshopper that moves in huge swarms and eats up the plants in its path

2 : cicada

3 : a tree with hard wood, leaves with many leaflets, and drooping flower clusters

Learn More about locust

Spanish Central: Translation of locust Nglish: Translation of locust for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of locust for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about locust

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locust

Definition of locust

Recent Examples of locust from the Web

Origin and Etymology of locust

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LOCUST Defined for English Language Learners

locust

Definition of locust for English Language Learners

LOCUST Defined for Kids

locust

Definition of locust for Students

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