mealworm

noun

meal·​worm ˈmēl-ˌwərm How to pronounce mealworm (audio)
: the larva of a darkling beetle (especially genus Tenebrio) that infests grain products but is often raised as food for insectivorous animals, for laboratory use, or as fishing bait

Examples of mealworm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Holloway’s apartment building in Brooklyn Heights was vandalized last week with red paint with vandals leaving a box of crickets and mealworms and breaking the glass of the lobby door with a hammer, police said. Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2024 But on Thursday, four protesters returned several miles south of Columbia to vandalize an executive’s Brooklyn Heights home with red paint, leaving a box of crickets and mealworms and breaking the glass of the lobby door with a hammer. Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2024 The video also shows maggots and mealworms crawling across a table set with drinking glasses as Israeli and American flags stand side by side in the background. Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, 24 July 2024 For instance, mealworms can only be eaten in the larva stage, while American desert locusts can only be eaten in the adult stage. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for mealworm 

Word History

First Known Use

1658, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mealworm was in 1658

Dictionary Entries Near mealworm

Cite this Entry

“Mealworm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mealworm. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

mealworm

noun
meal·​worm -ˌwərm How to pronounce mealworm (audio)
: any of various small brownish larvae of various beetles that live in grain products and are often raised as food for insect-eating animals or as bait

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