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

Examples of tomato hornworm in a Sentence

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The blooms also attract the parasitoid wasp that lays its eggs on tomato hornworms. Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 May 2026 Watch for aphids, spider mites, and tomato hornworms at the end of the month. Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 May 2026 This paved the way for a fellowship and a PhD at UCLA (with a thesis on the tomato hornworm moth) that was also awarded the same accolade, but this one had followed a full year of total failure on a project that had not been based on observations from the wild. Literary Hub, 23 Apr. 2026 For example, tomatoes grow well next to basil because basil's strong scent repels bugs that feed on tomatoes, such as tomato hornworms. Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 12 Mar. 2026 How to find tomato hornworms Actively feeding tomato hornworms leave behind a trail of biological waste called frass. Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 9 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Tomato hornworm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tomato%20hornworm. Accessed 15 May. 2026.

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