tapeworm
noun
tape·worm
ˈtāp-ˌwərm 
: any of a class (Cestoda) of bilaterally symmetrical flatworms that are parasitic as adults in the intestines of vertebrates including humans and consist of a scolex usually with suckers or hooks followed posteriorly by an undifferentiated neck region from which buds off an often long chain of proglottids
In most instances, adult tapeworms have little visible effect on their hosts except in heavy infections, which may result in anemia, weight loss, and various secondary manifestations.—
Burton J. Bogitsh et al.
Burton J. Bogitsh et al.called also cestode
Examples of tapeworm in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Much of that trauma stems from a tapeworm egg that Elvira consumes to lose weight at the beginning of her transformation.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 23 Dec. 2025
More urban sites including London and York had a more diverse parasite range, such as fish and meat tapeworms.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 19 Dec. 2025
Her Grimm retelling swaps glass slippers for broken noses, tapeworms, and eyelash surgery from hell — weaponizing the inevitability of a storybook to skewer beauty standards as a real social contract.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
In a series of escalating traumas, Elvira is subjected to rudimentary plastic surgery and a rapid weight-loss plan that involves a very hungry tapeworm.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tapeworm
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Andrew McGowan, Variety, 23 Dec. 2025
More urban sites including London and York had a more diverse parasite range, such as fish and meat tapeworms.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 19 Dec. 2025
Her Grimm retelling swaps glass slippers for broken noses, tapeworms, and eyelash surgery from hell — weaponizing the inevitability of a storybook to skewer beauty standards as a real social contract.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Dec. 2025
In a series of escalating traumas, Elvira is subjected to rudimentary plastic surgery and a rapid weight-loss plan that involves a very hungry tapeworm.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tapeworm
Cite this Entry
“Tapeworm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tapeworm. Accessed 3 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tapeworm
noun
tape·worm
ˈtāp-ˌwərm
: any of a group of flatworms that are parasites of the intestines of vertebrate animals including human beings
Medical Definition
tapeworm
noun
tape·worm
ˈtāp-ˌwərm
: any of the class Cestoda of flatworms that are parasitic as adults in the digestive tract of vertebrates including humans and as larvae in a great variety of vertebrates and invertebrates, that typically consist of an attachment organ usually with suckers, grooves, hooks, or other devices for adhering to the host's intestine followed by an undifferentiated growth region from which buds off a chain of segments of which the anterior members are little more than blocks of tissue, the median members have fully developed organs of both sexes, and the posterior members are degenerated to egg-filled sacs, that have no digestive system and absorb food through the body wall, and that have a nervous system consisting of ganglia and commissures in the scolex and longitudinal cords extending the length of the strobila
called also cestode
see beef tapeworm, cat tapeworm, dog tapeworm, fish tapeworm, fringed tapeworm, pork tapewormLove words? Need even more definitions?
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