water strider
noun
: any of various long-legged bugs (family Gerridae) that move about on the surface of the water
Examples of water strider in a Sentence
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Inspired by Rhagovelia water striders, semiaquatic insects also known as ripple bugs, these tiny bots can glide across rushing streams because of the robotization of an evolutionary adaptation.
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Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2025
Measuring only 3 mm long, water striders of the genus Rhagovelia really are something special.
—New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2025
Part of this limitation is owed to the micro-robots’ designs—the water strider bot can flap its limbs to propel itself atop water, but its natural inspiration actually uses its legs to row to move much faster.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Jan. 2024
The team was even able to create a robotic water strider capable of pushing itself along the water’s surface.
—Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 16 June 2017
The water strider lays its eggs deeper in water to keep them out of reach of wasps, but the greater pressure is more likely to buckle the eggs.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 14 Sep. 2011
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Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 2 Sep. 2025
Measuring only 3 mm long, water striders of the genus Rhagovelia really are something special.
—New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2025
Part of this limitation is owed to the micro-robots’ designs—the water strider bot can flap its limbs to propel itself atop water, but its natural inspiration actually uses its legs to row to move much faster.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 18 Jan. 2024
The team was even able to create a robotic water strider capable of pushing itself along the water’s surface.
—Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, 16 June 2017
The water strider lays its eggs deeper in water to keep them out of reach of wasps, but the greater pressure is more likely to buckle the eggs.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 14 Sep. 2011
Cite this Entry
“Water strider.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/water%20strider. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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