grasshopper
Americannoun
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any of numerous herbivorous, orthopterous insects, especially of the families Acrididae and Tettigoniidae, having the hind legs adapted for leaping and having chewing mouth parts, some species being highly destructive to vegetation.
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a small, light airplane used on low-flying missions, as for reconnaissance.
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Military. Grasshopper, a U.S. antipersonnel mine that jumps off the ground when activated by proximate body heat and sprays shrapnel over a lethal radius of 350 feet (107 meters).
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a cocktail of light cream, green crème de menthe, and white crème de menthe or crème de cacao.
noun
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any orthopterous insect of the families Acrididae ( short-horned grasshoppers ) and Tettigoniidae ( long-horned grasshoppers ), typically terrestrial, feeding on plants, and producing a ticking sound by rubbing the hind legs against the leathery forewings See also locust katydid
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informal very young or very small
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an iced cocktail of equal parts of crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and cream
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(modifier) unable to concentrate on any one subject for long
a grasshopper mind
Etymology
Origin of grasshopper
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English; grass ( def. ), hopper ( def. )
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.
Their farms regularly suffer severe losses from Senegalese grasshopper swarms.
From Science Daily • Jan. 24, 2026
Whether you are a grasshopper or a bird or a human, if you start destroying the environment in which you live, then you are overpopulated.
From Salon • Nov. 30, 2024
Ground-nesting birds, such as the diminutive grasshopper sparrow, are more elusive.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2023
Other species that will be supported through the two-year programme include the large marsh grasshopper, lapwings and the grey long-eared bat.
From BBC • Sep. 13, 2023
The yellow grass made it hard to see my brand-new species of big yellow grasshopper.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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.
