moth

noun \ ˈmȯth \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of moth

plural moths play \ˈmȯt͟hz, ˈmȯths\

1 : clothes moth

2 : any of various usually nocturnal lepidopteran insects with antennae that are often feathery, with a stouter body, duller coloring, and proportionately smaller wings than the butterflies, and with larvae that are plant-eating caterpillars

—

mothlike

play \-ˌlīk\ adjective

—

mothy

play \ˈmȯ-thē\ adjective

See moth defined for English-language learners

See moth defined for kids

Recent Examples of moth from the Web

Consider the auditory arms race between moths and bats.

— National Geographic, "These Mice Spy on Their Predators—By Sniffing Their Tears," 29 Mar. 2018
Regardless, the webworms inside will emerge as moths in the spring.

— kelly o'sullivan, Country Living, "Why These Creepy Web Nests Are Popping Up Everywhere On Trees In the South," 7 Aug. 2017
But Shannon and her lawyer proposed a smaller amount of $22,500 per moth.

— natalie stone, PEOPLE.com, "Shannon Beador Says She Has No Interest in a 'War of Words' During Messy Divorce from David," 22 Mar. 2018
The depictions of insects—the little mother moth, the Greek red damsel, the monarch butterfly—are particularly lavish, and an eerie bleakness is infused in the portraits of the snow leopard and giant panda.

— andrea gawrylewski, Scientific American, "Ralph Steadman’s World of Endangered Animals," 21 Mar. 2018
Be on the lookout for brown or white moths – these come from worms that love to munch on cabbage.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Whoa, now that's a $1,000 cabbage," 16 Mar. 2018
The drop was a function of the percentage of Bt corn planted in the area and occurred even though moth populations usually go up with temperature.

— diana gitig, Ars Technica, "Planting GMOs kills so many bugs that it helps non-GMO crops," 15 Mar. 2018
The bats were eating specific moths that hatched in Mexico around sundown and caught the breeze that carried them into the hill country around midnight each night.

— jennifer bolton, Houston Chronicle, "Warmer temps could mean run-ins with bats in the Houston area," 13 Mar. 2018
In August of last year, a dog passed away in a plane's cargo hold while the flight was delayed on the tarmac for two hours, moths after the death of a giant rabbit following a United flight from London to Iowa in April.

— marissa miller, Teen Vogue, "Dog Reportedly Dies on United Flight in Overhead Bin," 13 Mar. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of moth

Middle English mothe, from Old English moththe; akin to Middle High German motte moth

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Other Insect Terms

drone, entomology, gadfly, pismire, proboscis, vespine

MOTH Defined for English Language Learners

moth

noun

Definition of moth for English Language Learners

: a kind of insect that is similar to a butterfly but that flies mostly at night and is usually less colorful

MOTH Defined for Kids

moth

noun \ ˈmȯth \

Definition of moth for Students

plural moths \ˈmȯt͟hz, ˈmȯths\

: an insect that usually flies at night and has mostly feathery antennae and stouter body, duller coloring, and smaller wings than the related butterflies

Learn More about moth

See words that rhyme with moth Spanish Central: Translation of moth Nglish: Translation of moth for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of moth for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about moth

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moth

Definition of moth

mothlike

mothy

Recent Examples of moth from the Web

Origin and Etymology of moth

Other Insect Terms

MOTH Defined for English Language Learners

moth

Definition of moth for English Language Learners

MOTH Defined for Kids

moth

Definition of moth for Students

Learn More about moth

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mothlike

mothy

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Definition of moth for English Language Learners

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