worm
worm — 名詞
- wormsingular
- wormsplural
1. a soft-bodied creature that has a long narrow shape, no legs or bones, and lives
蠕蟲
身體細長柔軟、無四肢的動物
a soft-bodied creature that has a long narrow shape, no legs or bones, and lives mostly in soil.
After the heavy rain, several pink worms crawled across the pavement in our street.
大雨過後，我們街道的人行道上爬滿了粉紅色的蠕蟲。
collocation: crawl / wriggle + worm
Walid found a fat worm in the soil while planting tomato seedlings in the garden.
Walid 在花園裡種番茄幼苗時，在土中發現了一條肥大的蠕蟲。
countable: a worm / the worm / worms
Robins and blackbirds eat worms that live just beneath the surface of the grass.
知更鳥和黑鶇會吃草皮下方土壤裡的蠕蟲。
A long worm wriggled out of the wet ground when Tara lifted the flowerpot.
Tara 搬開花盆時，一條長長的蠕蟲從濕潤的泥土裡扭了出來。
- earthworm
- nightcrawler
- garden worm
- wriggling worm
- fishing worm
用法筆記
Countable noun. Often used with verbs like wriggle, crawl, or squirm to describe the movement of the animal.
2. the early, worm-shaped stage of certain insects before they become adults, such
幼蟲
某些昆蟲發育初期的蟲狀幼體
the early, worm-shaped stage of certain insects before they become adults, such as a caterpillar that will later turn into a butterfly or moth.
The gardener spotted small green worms eating holes through the cabbage leaves.
園丁在高麗菜葉上發現了正在啃蝕葉片的小綠蟲。
domain: gardening — insect larvae on plants
Minh cut open an apple and found a tiny white worm curled inside the core.
Minh 切開一顆蘋果，發現果核裡蜷縮著一條白色的幼蟲。
These black-and-yellow worms that feed on milkweed will later become monarch butterflies.
這些以乳草為食的黑黃色毛蟲，日後會變成帝王斑蝶。
collocation: feed on + [plant]
Hannah collected silk worms from the mulberry tree and watched them spin their cocoons.
Hannah 從桑樹上收集了蠶寶寶，觀察牠們吐絲結繭。
- silk worm
- cabbage worm
- corn worm
- meal worm
- apple worm
- caterpillar
specifically the larva of butterflies and moths; more precise than worm
- grub
the thick, soft larva of beetles; often found in soil or wood
- maggot
the legless larva of flies; usually found in decaying matter
用法筆記
In everyday English, this sense overlaps with words like caterpillar, grub, and maggot, which are more specific. 'Worm' here is a general, non-scientific term.
常見錯誤
3. a type of parasitic worm that lives inside the body of a person or an animal, fe
寄生蟲
寄生在人或動物體內的蟲
a type of parasitic worm that lives inside the body of a person or an animal, feeding on the host's food or blood and often causing illness.
The vet examined a sample of the dog's stool for signs of intestinal worms.
獸醫檢查了狗的糞便樣本，尋找腸道寄生蟲的跡象。
domain: veterinary — stool test for worms
Tara gave her cat a special paste because the animal had picked up worms from eating raw meat.
Tara 幫貓咪塗了一種藥膏，因為那隻貓吃了生肉而感染了寄生蟲。
Children who play in soil without washing their hands can sometimes get roundworms.
在泥土裡玩耍後沒洗手的孩子，有時會感染蛔蟲。
collocation: get + [type of parasitic worm]
The doctor explained that tapeworms can grow several metres long inside the human intestine.
醫生解釋說，絛蟲在人體腸道裡可以長到好幾公尺長。
In tropical countries, hookworm infections are a serious health problem for people without access to proper shoes.
在熱帶國家，鉤蟲感染對沒有適當鞋子可穿的人來說是一個嚴重的健康問題。
collocation: hookworm / tapeworm / roundworm infection
- intestinal worm
- parasitic worm
- tapeworm
- roundworm
- hookworm
- pinworm
- have worms
- get worms
- treat worms
用法筆記
Often used in plural (worms) when referring to an infestation in an animal or person. Common verb partners: have (worms), get (worms), treat (worms), and remove (worms).
4. an insulting word for a person, especially one who behaves in a dishonest, weak,
卑鄙小人
不值得尊敬的無恥之人
an insulting word for a person, especially one who behaves in a dishonest, weak, or unpleasant way that makes other people lose respect for them.
Walid called his former business partner a worm after discovering the stolen funds.
Walid 發現合夥人盜用資金後，罵他是個卑鄙小人。
figurative use: call someone a worm
Only a complete worm would spread lies about a colleague just to get a promotion.
只有卑鄙小人才會為了升遷而散播關於同事的謊言。
register: informal, insulting
Gabriela refused to shake the man's hand, saying he was a worm for cheating the elderly couple.
Gabriela 拒絕和那名男子握手，說他欺騙老夫婦，簡直是卑鄙無恥。
Hannah called Theo a worm when she found out he had been secretly reading her private emails.
Hannah 發現 Theo 偷看她的私人電子郵件後，罵他是個卑鄙小人。
- a worm
- call someone a worm
- treat someone like a worm
用法筆記
Strongly insulting and informal. Used as a singular countable noun, often in 'call someone a worm' or 'a worm' by itself. Less common in modern usage than stronger insults like 'rat' or 'snake'.
5. a piece of malicious software that creates copies of itself and spreads between
電腦蠕蟲
能自我複製的惡意程式
a piece of malicious software that creates copies of itself and spreads between linked computers across a network, often damaging or destroying data.
A worm spread through the office email system and brought the entire network down.
一隻電腦蠕蟲透過辦公室的電子郵件系統擴散，導致整個網路癱瘓。
domain: cyber security — network worm
Xiu installed antivirus software on her laptop to protect it from worms and other malware.
Xiu 在筆記型電腦上安裝了防毒軟體，以保護電腦免受蠕蟲和其他惡意軟體的侵害。
The university IT team worked all weekend to remove a worm from the main server.
大學的 IT 團隊花了整個週末，才將主機伺服器上的蠕蟲清除乾淨。
collocation: remove / block / detect a worm
Unlike a virus, a computer worm does not need a host file to travel between machines.
與病毒不同，電腦蠕蟲不需要宿主檔案就能在電腦之間傳播。
- computer worm
- network worm
- email worm
- spread like a worm
- block a worm
- remove a worm
用法筆記
Distinguished from a 'virus' — a worm spreads across networks independently without attaching to a program or file, whereas a virus requires a host file to move.
常見錯誤
a can of worms
idiomA situation that causes many unexpected problems when you start dealing with it.
棘手問題
Asking about the missing money opened a can of worms.
Maya knew that discussing the old contract would be a can of worms.
People who act quickly or arrive first get the best opportunities.
早起的鳥兒有蟲吃
Sara arrived at the sale early and got the best deals.
Diego always wakes up at 5 AM because the early bird catches the worm.
the worm will turn
idiomEven a patient person will eventually fight back if treated badly for too long.
兔子急了也會咬人
Min tolerated the bullying for months, but the worm will turn.
Brian warned his boss that the worm will turn if conditions don't improve.
worm — 動詞
- wormpresent simple I / you / we / they
- worms3rd person singular
- worming-ing form
- wormedpast simple
1. to move slowly and carefully through a narrow, crowded, or difficult space by tw
蠕動前行
在狹窄空間中緩慢移動
to move slowly and carefully through a narrow, crowded, or difficult space by twisting, sliding, or pressing the body against the surroundings.
Tara wormed her way through the busy crowd to reach the station exit.
Tara 在擁擠的人群中艱難地擠向車站出口。
pattern: worm one's way through [space]
The cat wormed under the garden fence to chase a bird in the neighbour's yard.
那隻貓鑽過花園籬笆，追趕鄰居院子裡的鳥。
pattern: worm under [object]
Walid wormed slowly through the narrow cave tunnel, scraping his elbows on the rough rock.
Walid 在狹窄的洞穴隧道中緩慢爬行，手肘在粗糙的岩石上磨破了皮。
The plumber wormed the camera cable into the narrow pipe to inspect the blockage.
水電工將攝影機電纜穿進狹窄的管道，檢查堵塞的位置。
transitive use: worm + object + into [space]
- worm through
- worm into
- worm under
- worm one's way
- worm slowly
文法句型
worm + through/into/under + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently used in the pattern 'worm one's way through/into/under something'. Can be intransitive (the cat wormed under the fence) or transitive with a reflexive object (wormed himself through the gap).
2. to treat a household animal such as a dog or cat with a drug that kills any para
驅蟲
給寵物服藥以殺死體內寄生蟲
to treat a household animal such as a dog or cat with a drug that kills any parasitic worms living inside its body.
Hannah took her puppy to the clinic to get it wormed after finding worms in its stool.
Hannah 帶小狗去診所驅蟲，因為在牠的糞便中發現了寄生蟲。
passive: get + animal + wormed
Vets recommend that you worm your cat every three months to keep it healthy.
獸醫建議每三個月幫貓咪驅蟲一次，以維持牠的健康。
The rescue centre wormed all the dogs before putting them up for adoption.
收容中心在送養之前，幫所有狗狗都做了驅蟲處理。
Xiu bought chewable tablets from the pet shop to worm her rabbit at home.
Xiu 在寵物店買了可咀嚼的藥片，在家幫兔子驅蟲。
transitive: worm + animal species
- worm a dog
- worm a cat
- worm a horse
- get wormed
- wormed regularly
- deworm
the more common everyday verb; 'deworm' is gaining ground over 'worm' in modern usage
- treat for worms
periphrastic alternative, clearer but less concise than the single verb
文法句型
worm + animal
用法筆記
Used almost exclusively by veterinarians and pet owners. The verb is less common in everyday conversation than the phrase 'give a deworming treatment'. Often used in its past participle form: 'Is your dog wormed?'