1
plural lice
ˈlīs 
a
: any of various small wingless usually flattened insects (orders Anoplura and Mallophaga) parasitic on warm-blooded animals
b
: a small usually sluggish arthropod (such as a biting louse) that lives on other animals or on plants and sucks their blood or juices
c
: any of several small arthropods (such as a book louse) that are not parasitic
Examples of louse in a Sentence
Noun
a problem with head lice
Her ex-husband is a real louse.
Recent Examples on the Web
Per and Britt Karlsson, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
For reasons that included the phylloxera louse—which decimated grapevines in the mid 1800’s—as well as the labor-intensive needs of this grape, by 1987 only 1.2 acres (0.5 hectares) of Timorasso existed in the world.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2017
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Noun
The vines did not survive, however, probably due to the presence of phylloxera, the vine louse, in the soil.
—Per and Britt Karlsson, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
For reasons that included the phylloxera louse—which decimated grapevines in the mid 1800’s—as well as the labor-intensive needs of this grape, by 1987 only 1.2 acres (0.5 hectares) of Timorasso existed in the world.
—Tom Mullen, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
Verb
Will Ferrell figure out a way to get along, their fathers (Mel Gibson, John Lithgow) show up for the holidays to louse everything up in this comedy sequel.
—Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2017
See All Example Sentences for louse
Cite this Entry
“Louse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/louse. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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