tomato hornworm

noun

: a North American hawk moth (Manduca quinquemaculata) whose green larva is a hornworm feeding on leaves of plants of the nightshade family and especially tobacco and tomato

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web East of Cascades: Check for tomato hornworm. oregonlive, 1 Aug. 2022 What is a tomato hornworm? Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 June 2022 Plant basil with them to repel tomato hornworm. Carol Stocker, BostonGlobe.com, 22 May 2022 Handpicking will usually control a tomato hornworm problem. Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 June 2022 Common pests include the tomato hornworm (a large green caterpillar that can be picked off by hand), aphids (which can be sprayed with a mild solution of soapy water), and whiteflies. Christopher Michel, Country Living, 19 Apr. 2021 For example, the aforementioned and dreaded tomato hornworm metamorphizes into the large sphinx moth, a nighttime pollinator important to pitahaya and other night-blooming plants. Linda Jones, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2020 But as with the tomato hornworm, these efforts to disseminate truth did not change how the rumors spread. Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2019 This appearance of the tomato hornworm was followed by terrifying reports of fatal poisonings and aggressive behavior toward people. Scientific American, 3 Sep. 2019 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tomato hornworm.' 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

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tomato hornworm was in 1921

Dictionary Entries Near tomato hornworm

Cite this Entry

“Tomato hornworm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tomato%20hornworm. Accessed 9 Jun. 2023.

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