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Synonyms

aphid

American  
[ey-fid, af-id] / ˈeɪ fɪd, ˈæf ɪd /

noun

  1. any of numerous tiny soft-bodied insects of the family Aphididae of worldwide distribution, that suck the sap from the stems and leaves of various plants, some developing wings when overcrowding occurs: an important pest of many fruit trees and vegetable crops.

aphid British  
/ ˈeɪfɪd, əˈfɪdɪən /

noun

  1. Also called: plant louse.  any of the small homopterous insects of the family Aphididae, which feed by sucking the juices from plants See also greenfly blackfly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • aphidian adjective
  • aphidious adjective

Etymology

Origin of aphid

First recorded in 1880–85; back formation from aphides, plural of aphis

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And one of the most abundant milkweed-visiting aphids, the nonnative oleander aphid, is host-specific, meaning it doesn’t eat other plants.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 8, 2023

He said he had not heard of similar aphid hordes in Canada, either related to the smoke or not.

From New York Times • Jun. 30, 2023

However, the common aphid can easily be evicted with a vigorous jet of water and a little hand smushing.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2022

Viswanath Birje has been announced as the winner of the Royal Society of Biology's photography competition, for his image of ants feeding off honeydew excreted by a yellow aphid.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2021

All these hemlocks, and all the hemlocks everywhere along the trail and far beyond, are being killed by an aphid introduced accidentally from Asia in 1924.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.