termite

noun

ter·​mite ˈtər-ˌmīt 

: 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

If the inspection discovers termites or the buyer fails to seek a mortgage within the allotted time frame, the sale shifts back to neutral until those issues are resolved. —Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026

Besides, life aggressively follows you everywhere here—ask any homeowner about their termite contract! —Outside, 17 Feb. 2026

Insects like ants and termites that might be drawn to a tempting tree stump can multiply and spread out across the property, potentially damaging healthy plant life directly and/or by spreading fungi or pathogens to nearby trees and plants. —Steven John, Architectural Digest, 13 Feb. 2026

If your region has been having an especially warm winter this year, this means that subterranean termites will only become more active in spring. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin termit-, termes, alteration (probably by conformation to terere "to rub, grind, wear down") of Latin tarmit-, tarmes "woodworm," of uncertain origin

Note: Early instances of termites in English may represent the Latin word, from which termite is a later back-formation. Latin tarmes is apparently attested in only a single line of Plautus' Mostellaria, though it was familiar to Late Latin authors. The Roman lexicographer Sextus Pompeius Festus considered it a kind of flesh-eating maggot ("genus vermiculi carnem exedens"). The initial syllable suggests a relationship to terere "to rub, grind, wear down" (see trite), though -ar- must be of secondary origin, and the nature of the suffix is unclear.

First Known Use

1781, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing termite

• Formosan termite

Kids 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