ladybug
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of ladybug
Explanation
A ladybug is a tiny, flying beetle that's usually red with black dots. Some people think it's good luck when a ladybug lands on them. Scientifically, the ladybug is known as a coccinellid, one of a family of insects that are generally brightly colored and spotted. They are sometimes also called "lady birds" or "lady cows." Gardeners love them because they tend to eat pesky bugs like aphids that feed on plants and flowers. The lady part of their name refers to the Bible's Virgin Mary, named for the red cape she wears in many well-known paintings.
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.
The ladybug, once a treasured member of the animal kingdom, is six legs deep in a publicity crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025
The creatures include a walrus, a ladybug, a zebra, a wildebeest, a bat, a bush baby, a beaver and a crocodile.
From New York Times • May 1, 2024
In another, a ladybug drinks water from a dewdrop on a long blade of grass.
From National Geographic • Jan. 22, 2024
I carried it with me every day, like I carried my pink, sparkly ladybug lunchbox.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 5, 2023
He told folks my arm and my eye were so true that I could knock the spots off a ladybug without harming her atall if I took the notion to do so.
From "Elijah of Buxton" by Christopher Paul Curtis
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.
