insects

noun

plural of insect
as in shrimp
a person of no importance or influence the magazine's editor in chief was notorious for treating staffers as insects, often not even bothering to learn their names

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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 insects Along the way, the insects can look and behave very differently at each stage. — Janet Loehrke, USA Today, 5 July 2026 At best, marigolds confuse or repel soft-bodied insects in small areas, adds Rezk. — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 6 July 2026 But Dumont wanted to look beyond insects to find out know how the spindle behaves in mammalian cells like ours. — Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 29 June 2026 Along with providing a convenient way to drink, the tumbler serves as a lid atop the carafe, keeping dust and insects out of your water. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 29 June 2026 Here is a brief overview and judgement calls of several garden insects that challenge our assumptions about who belongs in which column. — Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 July 2026 Hiring a professional can help identify problem areas and safely control mosquitoes without harming helpful insects like bees. — Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 3 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insects
  1. ciphers
  2. lightweights
  3. nobodies
  4. dwarfs
Noun
  • Consider a dashboard that shows applications, including keys and libraries; network traffic protocols and ciphers; hardware, such as HSMs and TPMs; and third-party dependencies, including cryptographic or software bills of materials.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
  • As zonky cross-generational ciphers go, the group’s debut, Strictly 4 the Scythe, is no Hypnotize Camp Posse, the amalgam of Three 6 Mafia and a grip of artists signed to their Hypnotize Minds label in the early 2000s.
    — Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2026
Definition of ciphers
Noun
  • Jupiter, by comparison, is as much as 35 times denser than these two lightweights.
    — Marcia Dunn, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026
  • Jupiter, by comparison, is as much as 35 times denser than these two lightweights.
    — Marcia Dunn, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 June 2026
Definition of lightweights
Noun
  • Yvonne and Nick’s disastrous wedding dinner is the day the cast went from nobodies to actual practitioners of the reality-television arts and sciences.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 1 July 2026
  • Despite the tragicomic instability and the rotating cast of nobodies temporarily tasked with running the country, when seen in macroeconomic terms, Peru appears to be doing just fine, thank you.
    — Daniel Alarcón, New Yorker, 4 June 2026
Definition of nobodies
Noun
  • As virality goes, this is not a big number, but the passion that the account has aroused dwarfs its reach.
    — David Kamp, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • Major props to the dwarfs who saw this as a convenient way to score help in the cleaning department.
    — Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026
Definition of dwarfs

Browse Nearby Words

insectivores
insects
insecure
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Cite this Entry

“Insects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insects. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on insects

Nglish: Translation of insects for Spanish Speakers

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