ant lion

or antlion

noun

1. any of several insects belonging to the family Myrmeleontidae, of the order Neuroptera, the larvae of which dig a pit in sand where they lie in wait to prey upon ants or other insects that lose their footing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ant lion¹

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

That time Leah fed one to the ant lion, Jesus saw that.

From Literature

At night, he and other graduate students and field investigators would “mess with ant lions” by tossing ants into the pits.

From New York Times

Kino watched with the detachment of God while a dusty ant frantically tried to escape the sand trap an ant lion had dug for him.

From Literature

We used to watch the ants, too, and I regret 81 to say that we used to feed them to the ant lions.

From Project Gutenberg

An ant lion will dig an entrapment, then hiding behind a blind, await the unwary.

From Project Gutenberg