pest

noun

\ ˈpest

Definition of pest

1 : an epidemic disease associated with high mortality specifically : plague

2 : something resembling a pest in destructiveness especially : a plant or animal detrimental to humans or human concerns (such as agriculture or livestock production)

3 : one that pesters or annoys : nuisance

Other Words from pest Synonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing pest Learn More About pest

Examples of pest in a Sentence

These insects are pests for farmers. mice and other household pests You're being a real pest. Would you leave us alone, please?

Recent Examples on the Web Help your fruit trees produce blemish- and pest-free fruit by spraying the new fruit every week with a fungicide and insecticide labeled for the fruit and the pests involved. — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 6 May 2022 Landscape with native California plants to reduce the need for costly chemical maintenance, because the plants are more water efficient and pest-resistant. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Oct. 2021 But in 2017 a colleague dropped a shell on Wood’s desk marked with squiggly canals and dark, ugly spots—signs of a shell-boring oyster pest called Polydora. — Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 28 Apr. 2022 Is there more to this bird known mostly as an invasive pest? — New York Times, 11 Apr. 2022 An obviously white exterminator gets rid of a pest, and in the trap are the remains of an obviously Mexican mouse indicated by a sombrero next to the trap. — Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2022 Last year my flowering cherries contracted some sort of pest creating holes in the leaves. — baltimoresun.com, 9 Mar. 2022 This link has information on this insect pest as well as some management suggestions. — oregonlive, 12 Feb. 2022 The moths are an invasive pest that began defoliating Wisconsin trees in 1997. — Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 14 Dec. 2021 See More

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