Illustration of rhinoceros beetle
rhinoceros beetle
noun
: any of various large chiefly tropical scarab beetles (subfamily Dynastinae) having projecting horns on thorax and head
Examples of rhinoceros beetle in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Weapons also are probably molded by the type of fighting and where it’s done — as borne out by work on the shapes of rhinoceros beetle horns by evolutionary biologist Erin McCullough.
—
Kendall Powell, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2019
The dung beetle’s coronation as the world’s strongest insect steals the thunder from the rhinoceros beetle, which can lift up to 850 times its own weight.
—Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2010
In the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus, horns range from a stubby 7 millimeters to a towering 32.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2013
If the rhinoceros beetle were the size of an actual rhinoceros, its horn could be 16 feet long.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2013
There are antlers, rhinoceros beetle horns, peacock tails.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2015
Chances are good that you would be startled to find a rhinoceros beetle perched over your bed one night.
—Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2022
Heracross, with its giant horn, bears a striking resemblance to the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, for example.
—Jordan Culver, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2021
So, too, palm-size rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles.
—Matt Alt, The New Yorker, 13 May 2020
Kendall Powell, Discover Magazine, 6 Dec. 2019
The dung beetle’s coronation as the world’s strongest insect steals the thunder from the rhinoceros beetle, which can lift up to 850 times its own weight.
—Smriti Rao, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2010
In the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus, horns range from a stubby 7 millimeters to a towering 32.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2013
If the rhinoceros beetle were the size of an actual rhinoceros, its horn could be 16 feet long.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2013
There are antlers, rhinoceros beetle horns, peacock tails.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 3 July 2015
Chances are good that you would be startled to find a rhinoceros beetle perched over your bed one night.
—Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2022
Heracross, with its giant horn, bears a striking resemblance to the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, for example.
—Jordan Culver, USA TODAY, 30 Mar. 2021
So, too, palm-size rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles.
—Matt Alt, The New Yorker, 13 May 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rhinoceros beetle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1681, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of rhinoceros beetle was
in 1681
Dictionary Entries Near rhinoceros beetle
Cite this Entry
“Rhinoceros beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhinoceros%20beetle. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rhinoceros beetle
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