ladybug

[ ley-dee-buhg ]

noun

1. any of numerous small, round, often brightly colored and spotted beetles of the family Coccinellidae, feeding chiefly on aphids and other small insects, but including several forms that feed on plants.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ladybug¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; lady + bug ¹

Example Sentences

The creatures include a walrus, a ladybug, a zebra, a wildebeest, a bat, a bush baby, a beaver and a crocodile.

From New York Times

“Before the game, a ladybug landed on my shoe. And you all know what that means,” Aiyuk said.

From Seattle Times

In another, a ladybug drinks water from a dewdrop on a long blade of grass.

From National Geographic

One is a weirdly erotic ladybug being devoured by a Venus flytrap, another a hot dog-holding body surfer slicing dramatically through a seaweed-entangled wave and a third a panoramic drawing of a vacuum cleaner embracing a dress beneath what appears to be an interrogation lamp.

From Los Angeles Times

I carried it with me every day, like I carried my pink, sparkly ladybug lunchbox.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• ant
• aphid
• bee
• beetle
• butterfly
• cockroach
• dragonfly
• flea
• fruit fly
• gnat
• grasshopper
• mite
• mosquito
• moth
• pest
• spider
• termite
• tick