army ant

noun

any of the chiefly tropical ants of the suborder Dorylinae that travel in vast swarms, preying mainly on other insects.

army ant

any of various mainly tropical American predatory ants of the subfamily Dorylinae, which live in temporary nests and travel in vast hordes preying on other animals Also calledlegionary ant See also driver ant

First recorded in 1870–75

He only feared one kind of ant, the army-ant, which sometimes travels in hordes of millions, eating all that it comes upon.

Harmless save when interfered with—all save the army ant, that is—the whole ant tribe was formidable when aroused.

What occurred was a replica of the usual army ant scene, but enacted as if viewed through the large end of an opera-glass.

I realized at last that I was looking at an actual moving of a portion of the army ant household itself.

It was here that I realized my good fortune and the achievement of my desires, when I first saw an army ant at rest.

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