earwig

[ eer-wig ]

/ ˈɪərˌwɪg /

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noun

any of numerous elongate, nocturnal insects of the order Dermaptera, having a pair of large, movable pincers at the rear of the abdomen.

verb (used with object), ear·wigged, ear·wig·ging.

to fill the mind of with prejudice by insinuations.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of earwig

before 1000; Middle English erwigge,Old English ēarwicga ear insect; from the notion that it enters people's ears. See wiggle

Words nearby earwig

earthy, ear to the ground, have one's, ear trumpet, ear tuft, earwax, earwig, earwigging, earwitness, earworm, ear wrap, EAS

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use earwig in a sentence

That said, it seems that if earwigs were regularly holed up in ears, science would have more evidence of it.
Do earwigs really live in our ears?|Philip Kiefer|August 3, 2022|Popular-Science
As a kid, you might have first encountered earwigs as a kind of playground mythological creature.
Do earwigs really live in our ears?|Philip Kiefer|August 3, 2022|Popular-Science
(i) Reincarnation, as an earwig, or a Hottentot, or an emperor.
Up and Down|Edward Frederic Benson
I cannot really believe I am going to be an earwig or an emperor.
Up and Down|Edward Frederic Benson

What shall I, this Me, do when I am an earwig or an emperor?
Up and Down|Edward Frederic Benson
The care of the earwig not only extends to her eggs, but also to her young larv.
The Life of an Insect|Anonymous
A name which excites anything but agreeable associations is Earwig.
Surnames as a Science|Robert Ferguson

British Dictionary definitions for earwig

earwig

/ (ˈɪəˌwɪɡ) /

noun

any of various insects of the order Dermaptera, esp Forficula auricularia (common European earwig), which typically have an elongated body with small leathery forewings, semicircular membranous hindwings, and curved forceps at the tip of the abdomen

verb -wigs, -wigging or -wigged

informal to eavesdrop

(tr) archaic to attempt to influence (a person) by private insinuation

Word Origin for earwig

Old English ēarwicga, from ēare ear 1 + wicga beetle, insect; probably from a superstition that the insect crept into human ears

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