insects

IPA/ˈɪn.sekt/
KK[ˈɪnsˌɛkts]IPA/ˈɪn.sekt/

insects — noun

  • insectssingular
  • insectsesplural

1. very small animals with three main body parts and six legs; many kinds also have

1.nounA2
Definition

very small animals with three main body parts and six legs; many kinds also have wings

Example

Ayana photographed bright green insects on the tomato plants after rain.

insects on plants

Tiny insects gathered around the porch light during Ryan's birthday party.

insects gather around light

Common collocations
  • flying insects
  • harmful insects
  • insects on the leaves
  • insects in the house
  • keep insects away
  • study insects
Synonyms
  • bugs

    a looser everyday word that people often use for insects in general

  • creepy-crawlies

    informal and often used when the speaker feels disgust or fear

Grammar Patterns

[type] insects

insects in [place]

keep insects away from [thing]

Usage Note

This is the regular plural of insect. Use it when you mean more than one insect or when you speak about insects as a group in science or daily life.

Common Mistakes

There were much insects on the lamp.
There were many insects on the lamp.
Use 'many' with this countable plural noun.
The screen keeps insect out of the kitchen.
The screen keeps insects out of the kitchen.
Use the plural form when you mean more than one small creature.

2. people spoken of as nasty, low, or not worth respecting

2.nounB2
Definition

people spoken of as nasty, low, or not worth respecting

Example

After the scam, many neighbors called the two brothers insects.

call + people + insects

The columnist described the men who took bribes as insects.

describe + people + as insects

Common collocations
  • call them insects
  • describe people as insects
  • the insects who betrayed us
Synonyms
  • scum

    stronger and blunter insult for people seen as morally disgusting

  • vermin

    similar dehumanizing insult that stresses disgust

  • lowlifes

    informal insult for people seen as dishonest or dirty

Grammar Patterns

call + [people] + insects

describe + [people] + as insects

the insects who + clause

Usage Note

This insulting sense is much rarer than sense 1 and usually appears in angry or dramatic speech. Speakers choose it to show extreme contempt, not to describe people in a neutral way.

Common Mistakes

The report said the insects broke the law.
The report said the corrupt officials broke the law.
This sense is insulting and emotional, so it does not fit a neutral report.
The insects in the garden ruined our lunch.
The insects in the garden ruined our lunch.' / 'Those insects are ruining our town.
Sense 2 is only about people, not actual small animals.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Insects' is the ordinary everyday word for small six-legged creatures such as ants, flies, and bees. 'Bugs' is looser and more casual, and many speakers use it for almost any small creature that creeps or flies, even when the science is not exact. 'Arthropods' is the scientific umbrella term that also includes spiders, crabs, and centipedes, so it is much wider than 'insects'. 'Spiders' are often called insects in casual speech, but they are a different group because they have eight legs and two main body sections. In daily conversation you might complain about insects in the kitchen, say bugs are all over the porch light, or use arthropod only in a science lesson.

insects ↗bugs ↗arthropodsspiders ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • flying insects
  • harmful insects
  • desert insects
  • dead insects

Phrases

  • keep insects away
  • study insects
  • protect plants from insects

Prepositions

  • insects in
  • insects on
  • insects under

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Insect came into English from Latin insectum, a word that meant something cut into sections. The image fits the way an insect's body appears divided into separate parts. Insects is the regular plural form built with -s.

First known use

1601

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1b