Illustration of black widow
black widow
noun
: a venomous New World spider (Latrodectus mactans of the family Theridiidae) the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen
broadly
: any of various related venomous spiders that have a large globular, usually glossy, dark abdomen often marked with red and long and wiry legs
Examples of black widow in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
She's rumored to be a black widow who has inherited a lot of money from her husbands.
—
Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 17 May 2026
In the United States, spiders that are dangerous to people include the brown recluse, which carries a necrotic toxin that destroys tissue, and the black widow, which has a special neurotoxin that damages nerve cells.
—Matthew Cordes, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, successful female contestants like two-time champion Parvati Shallow have been framed as snakes and black widows.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for black widow
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Erin Moriarty, CBS News, 17 May 2026
In the United States, spiders that are dangerous to people include the brown recluse, which carries a necrotic toxin that destroys tissue, and the black widow, which has a special neurotoxin that damages nerve cells.
—Matthew Cordes, The Conversation, 6 Apr. 2026
This includes brown and black widows and brown recluse.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 2 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, successful female contestants like two-time champion Parvati Shallow have been framed as snakes and black widows.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for black widow
Cite this Entry
“Black widow.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20widow. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
black widow
noun
black wid·ow
-ˈwid-ˌō 
: a venomous New World spider of the genus Latrodectus (L. mactans) the female of which is black with an hourglass-shaped red mark on the underside of the abdomen
broadly
: any other spider of the genus Latrodectus
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