army ant
noun
: any of a subfamily (Dorylinae) of aggressive nomadic tropical ants that prey on insects and spiders
Examples of army ant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
These renderings reveal different structures within the body of an army ant (Eciton hamatum) sub-soldier, based on Antscan data.
—
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2026
Five insanely strong men made a steady trek from truck to door like a trail of army ants, each one carrying an item three times his weight and size.
—
Marni Jameson,
Arkansas Online,
12 Dec. 2025
Marching army ants strictly following a pheromone trail to carry heavier loads are another known example.
—
Rohini Subrahmanyam,
Scientific American,
29 Sep. 2025
Every insect poses different challenges, but Cockerill told Ars that wrangling the army ants on location in the Costa Rican rainforest was probably the trickiest.
—
Jennifer Ouellette,
Ars Technica,
24 Jan. 2024
Muratore and her collaborators believe an army ant’s collaborative capabilities could soon help engineers program swarms of robots based on the insect’s behavior principles and brains.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
22 Nov. 2023
Ultimately, the researchers say that the species is the second oldest army ant species to be identified, and the first (and only) to be identified in Europe, which was much warmer and wetter 35 million years ago.
—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
29 Nov. 2022
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IEEE Spectrum,
5 Mar. 2026
Five insanely strong men made a steady trek from truck to door like a trail of army ants, each one carrying an item three times his weight and size.
—
Marni Jameson,
Arkansas Online,
12 Dec. 2025
Marching army ants strictly following a pheromone trail to carry heavier loads are another known example.
—
Rohini Subrahmanyam,
Scientific American,
29 Sep. 2025
Every insect poses different challenges, but Cockerill told Ars that wrangling the army ants on location in the Costa Rican rainforest was probably the trickiest.
—
Jennifer Ouellette,
Ars Technica,
24 Jan. 2024
Muratore and her collaborators believe an army ant’s collaborative capabilities could soon help engineers program swarms of robots based on the insect’s behavior principles and brains.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
22 Nov. 2023
Ultimately, the researchers say that the species is the second oldest army ant species to be identified, and the first (and only) to be identified in Europe, which was much warmer and wetter 35 million years ago.
—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
29 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Army ant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/army%20ant. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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