wood-boring

adjective

wood-bor·​ing ˈwu̇d-ˌbȯr-iŋ How to pronounce wood-boring (audio)
: excavating galleries in wood in feeding or in constructing a nest
used chiefly of an insect

Examples of wood-boring in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Asian longhorned beetle is an invasive, wood-boring beetle that attacks 12 types of hardwood trees in North America, including maple, elm, buckeye, birch and willow trees. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 11 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wood-boring.' 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

1815, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wood-boring was in 1815

Dictionary Entries Near wood-boring

Cite this Entry

“Wood-boring.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wood-boring. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!