ant lion

American  

Or antlion

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.

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Etymology

Origin of ant lion

First recorded in 1805–15

Example Sentences

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 "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck

Yes, that is the way the larva of the aphis lion and of the ant lion made their cocoons.

From The Insect Folk by Morley, Margaret Warner

There! it has succeeded in making the poor ant slip; down it goes, and now the ant lion has seized it and dragged it down under the ground.

From The Insect Folk by Morley, Margaret Warner

Within the cocoon they become motionless pupæ, and finally appear as silver-winged little creatures that bear no resemblance to the large-jawed, ever hungry, ant lion.

From The Insect Folk by Morley, Margaret Warner

An ant slid part way down its funnel and tried to climb out again, and the ant lion down below is flinging sand at it.

From The Insect Folk by Morley, Margaret Warner