insect

The Simple English Wikipedia has an article on:

Insect

insect is on the Basic English 850 List.

ink - insect - instrument

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ˈɪnsɛkt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: in‧sect

Noun

Singular insect

Plural insects

Picture dictionary

ant bee beetle butterfly dragonfly fly spider termite wasp

1. (countable) A type of small animal with an external skeleton and six legs.
   • Synonym: bug

   I killed a large insect in the bathroom.

   Crickets, ants, ladybugs, and flies are insects.

2. (countable) (figurative) A person who is weak or not important.
   • Synonym: weakling
   • Antonym: big dog

   The mayor thought of her as a mere insect.

Derived words

• insecticide
• insectivore

Related words

• colony
• exoskeleton
• hive