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Synonyms

termite

American  
[tur-mahyt] / ˈtɜr maɪt /

noun

  1. any of numerous pale-colored, soft-bodied, chiefly tropical social insects, of the order Isoptera, that feed on wood, some being highly destructive to buildings, furniture, etc.

termite British  
/ ˈtɜːmaɪt, tɜːˈmɪtɪk /

noun

  1. Also called: white ant.  any whitish ant-like social insect of the order Isoptera, of warm and tropical regions. Some species feed on wood, causing damage to furniture, buildings, trees, etc

"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
termite Scientific  
/ tûr′mīt′ /

  1. Any of various pale-colored insects of the order Isoptera that live in large colonies and feed on wood. Termites resemble ants in their appearance, manner of living, and social organization, but are not closely related. Termites can be very destructive to wooden buildings and structures.

  2. Also called isopteran

Other Word Forms

  • termitic adjective

Etymology

Origin of termite

1775–85; taken as singular of New Latin termites, plural of termes white ant, Latin tarmes wood-eating worm

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.

One of the clearest patterns to emerge was that termite and woodroach genomes are smaller and less complex than cockroach genomes.

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2026

Once termite ancestors became monogamous, that competition disappeared.

From Science Daily • Jan. 31, 2026

Rivas explained that over time the wood weathered from brown to gray and was termite resistant.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2025

In his work Invisible Cities, he was inspired by termite mounds to reimagine what architecture might look like in the future.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024

Does each termite possess a fragment of blueprint, or is the whole design, arch by arch, encoded in his DNA?

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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.