: any of numerous pale-colored soft-bodied social insects (order Isoptera) that live in colonies consisting usually of winged sexual forms, wingless sterile workers, and soldiers, feed on wood, and include some which are very destructive to wooden structures and trees
called also white ant
Examples of termite in a Sentence
The house has a lot of termite damage.
Recent Examples on the Web
The wood had badly deteriorated: There was dry rot, termites and water damage.
—
Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Over 3 million bees were killed by fipronil poisoning, a chemical used to exterminate termites and ants at construction sites.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Jan. 2024
Between heat, wood rot, fire risk and termites, the islands cultivate the idea of impermanence.
—Kristina Linnea Garcia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
And Forte points to another common issue in Tennessee: termite damage.
—Terri Williams, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
Each home is engineered to resist mold, rot, termites, and harsh weather, ensuring worry-free living.
—Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024
His reputation grew as an amazing deal-maker who could sell sawdust to termites.
—Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024
According to Gunn, beekeepers may use a small amount of fipronil to stop ants from invading their hives or termites from eating the wood stands or pallets the hives are placed on.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Jan. 2024
In his eyes, the dark shapes were certainly termite mounds, which could grow up to 26 feet tall and over 50 feet wide in the Katanga region.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024
Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Over 3 million bees were killed by fipronil poisoning, a chemical used to exterminate termites and ants at construction sites.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Jan. 2024
Between heat, wood rot, fire risk and termites, the islands cultivate the idea of impermanence.
—Kristina Linnea Garcia, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024
And Forte points to another common issue in Tennessee: termite damage.
—Terri Williams, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024
Each home is engineered to resist mold, rot, termites, and harsh weather, ensuring worry-free living.
—Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024
His reputation grew as an amazing deal-maker who could sell sawdust to termites.
—Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024
According to Gunn, beekeepers may use a small amount of fipronil to stop ants from invading their hives or termites from eating the wood stands or pallets the hives are placed on.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Jan. 2024
In his eyes, the dark shapes were certainly termite mounds, which could grow up to 26 feet tall and over 50 feet wide in the Katanga region.
—Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'termite.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Termite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/termite. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
termite
noun
ter·mite
ˈtər-ˌmīt 
: any of a group of pale-colored soft-bodied social insects that feed on wood, live in colonies consisting of winged sexual forms, wingless sterile workers, and often soldiers, and that include some very destructive to wooden structures and trees
called also white ant
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