beetle

¹ American  

[beet-l] / ˈbit l /

noun

1. any of numerous insects of the order Coleoptera, characterized by hard, horny forewings that cover and protect the membranous flight wings.

2. (loosely) any of various insects resembling the beetle, as a cockroach.

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verb (used without object)

beetled, beetling

1. Chiefly British. to move quickly; scurry.

   He beetled off to catch the train.

beetle ² American  

[beet-l] / ˈbit l /

noun

1. a heavy hammering or ramming instrument, usually of wood, used to drive wedges, force down paving stones, compress loose earth, etc.

2. any of various wooden instruments for beating linen, mashing potatoes, etc.

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verb (used with object)

beetled, beetling

1. to use a beetle on; drive, ram, beat, or crush with a beetle.

2. to finish (cloth) with a beetling machine.

beetle ³ American  

[beet-l] / ˈbit l /

adjective

1. projecting; overhanging.

   beetle brows.

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verb (used without object)

beetled, beetling

1. to project; jut out; overhang.

   a cliff that beetles over the sea; his mustache and beetling brows; thick eyebrows beetling over blue eyes.

2. to hang or tower over in a threatening or menacing manner.

   The prospect of bankruptcy beetled over him.

beetle ¹ British  

/ ˈbiːtəl /

noun

1. a heavy hand tool, usually made of wood, used for ramming, pounding, or beating

2. a machine used to finish cloth by stamping it with wooden hammers

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verb

1. to beat or pound with a beetle

2. to finish (cloth) by means of a beetle

beetle ² British  

/ ˈbiːtəl /

noun

1. any insect of the order Coleoptera , having biting mouthparts and forewings modified to form shell-like protective elytra

2. a game played with dice in which the players draw or assemble a beetle-shaped form

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verb

1. informal to scuttle or scurry; hurry

beetle ³ British  

/ ˈbiːtəl /

verb

1. (intr) to overhang; jut

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adjective

1. overhanging; prominent

Other Word Forms

• beetler noun
• beetling adjective

Etymology

Origin of beetle¹

First recorded before 900; late Middle English bit(t)il, betylle, bityl, Old English bitel(a), betl, derivative of bītan bite

Origin of beetle²

First recorded before 900; Middle English betel, bitille “mallet, hammer,” Old English bītel, bētel, bȳtel (cognate with Middle Low German bētel “chisel”), derivative of bē(a)tan beat

Origin of beetle³

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; back formation from beetle-browed

Explanation

A beetle is a dark, shiny, hard-shelled insect. Your garden-loving grandmother will be distressed when she discovers her prize roses are infested with hungry beetles. A beetle usually has pincers or a biting mouth in front and wings that are hard and protective, forming a kind of shell or armor over its body. There are around 400,000 different species of beetles, and they make up a quarter of all known animals. The beetles people are most familiar with are garden pests, nibbling on plants and flowers. The Old English word for beetle, bitela, literally means "little biter."

Example Sentences

The beetle, Sceptobius lativentris, even smaller than the ant, turns off its own pheromones to go stealth.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

The cuticular hydrocarbons have another function: they form a waxy barrier that prevents the beetle from drying out.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 2026

Although officials are only now reporting the arrival, they first found the beetle in Ventura County in the summer of 2024.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 10, 2026

The scientists next examined how these beetle defenses affect the fungus Beauveria bassiana.

From Science Daily • Jan. 1, 2026

She looks right through me, the way passersby usually do, as if I'm no bigger than the beetle crawling in a crack in the sidewalk.

From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman

Related Words

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