as in nymph
a young wingless often wormlike form (as a grub or caterpillar) that hatches from the egg of many insects the larva looked ugly, but it was destined to hatch into a beautiful butterfly

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of larva The parasite — the larva of the New World screwworm fly — can devastate cattle herds and is rife in parts of Central America and Mexico. Patrick Smith, NBC news, 25 Aug. 2025 Both beetles and moths go through a four-stage life cycle of egg, larva (grub), pupa, and adult. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 19 Aug. 2025 The screwworm is a larva of the Cochliomyia hominivorax fly that can invade the tissues of any warm-blooded animal, including humans. Fernando Llano, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2025 This particular larva discovered in Taylor was found in time. Tj MacIas, Miami Herald, 13 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for larva
Recent Examples of Synonyms for larva
nymph
Noun
  • In Ovid’s version of the story, after cutting down a sacred oak, Erysichthon is cursed with insatiable hunger by the dryad nymph who inhabited it.
    Ellen Walker, JSTOR Daily, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The ticks live and feed on the deer, particularly during the insect's nymph and adult years, which can last up to three years.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Larva.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/larva. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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