1
as in mermaids
a mythical goddess represented as a young girl and said to live outdoors
she bought the book of fairy tales for the beautiful engravings of nymphs and fairies featured between the stories
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2
3
as in girls
a female person who has not yet reached adulthood
the neighborhood nymphs were gathered at the local pizza parlor
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Recent Examples of nymphs
Signs of an infestation include fecal stains (black or rusty-looking spots) on fabrics, shed skins, or the adult bugs, which are oval, flat, reddish-brown and about 3/16-inch long or nymphs, which are yellowish and transparent, says Oi.
—
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.
—Associate News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Crafted by different species, the colonies were built by grass-cutting termites who added saliva, feces, and sand to construct palaces for their king, queen, nymphs, workers and soldiers.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
After seemingly every cast, my dry-dropper rig was a bird’s nest of monofilament and pheasant tail nymphs.
—Robert Annis, Outside, 22 Nov. 2025
Directed by Giles Alderson (Wolves of War, The Dare), Samodiva draws on the haunting legend of the forest nymphs from Bulgarian folklore.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Many of the old stories feature vilas, nymphs or fairies of the forests and mountains.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Inspectors spotted two live German cockroach nymphs at a storage cabinet above a two-compartment sink and a live adult roach on the floor near the ice machine.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Dragonfly nymphs have a lower section of their mandibles that kind of unhinges, shoots forward, grabs stuff, and comes back in again, so very much like the Alien!
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 25 Dec. 2025
While adult females can live for up to 100 days, most damage is inflicted by the youngest nymphs, which feed on plant sap and inject toxic saliva that causes grass to yellow, weaken, and die.
—Associate News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Crafted by different species, the colonies were built by grass-cutting termites who added saliva, feces, and sand to construct palaces for their king, queen, nymphs, workers and soldiers.
—Norma Meyer, Oc Register, 26 Nov. 2025
After seemingly every cast, my dry-dropper rig was a bird’s nest of monofilament and pheasant tail nymphs.
—Robert Annis, Outside, 22 Nov. 2025
Directed by Giles Alderson (Wolves of War, The Dare), Samodiva draws on the haunting legend of the forest nymphs from Bulgarian folklore.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
Many of the old stories feature vilas, nymphs or fairies of the forests and mountains.
—Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025
Inspectors spotted two live German cockroach nymphs at a storage cabinet above a two-compartment sink and a live adult roach on the floor near the ice machine.
—Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2025
Dragonfly nymphs have a lower section of their mandibles that kind of unhinges, shoots forward, grabs stuff, and comes back in again, so very much like the Alien!
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nymphs
Noun
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Patterns from mermaids and Stonehenge to the New York City skyline and Paris's Eiffel Tower.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
23 Dec. 2025
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The Laguna Ocean Foundation also kicks off every summer with its annual Kelp Fest, where visitors can take photos with mermaids, listen to live music, and participate in a large-scale beach clean-up.—
Acacia Gabriel,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Like the former Philadelphia Eagles star, Damon is a father of four girls — Alexia, 25, Isabella, 19, Gia, 17, and Stella, 15 — with his wife, Luciana Damon.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
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Underneath the coat, Davis wore a gray V-neck sweater over a white crewneck tee (a classic winter style move all the cool girls are making), but the real kicker?—
Eva Thomas,
InStyle,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the final novel of the series, The Last Battle, the destruction of trees and dryads in Lantern Waste, a place tied to the creation of Narnia itself, is one of many portentous omens signalling the end of the world.—
Ellen Walker,
JSTOR Daily,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Sunday finale Brown is seeking his seventh Matriarch win in nine years Sunday in the one-mile turf test for older fillies and mares.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Nov. 2025
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The $80,000 Swingtime Stakes matches a large field of fillies and mares seeking their first stakes win in 2025.—
Kevin Modesti,
Oc Register,
12 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Nymphs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nymphs. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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